Karnataka Congress chief D K Shivakumar tells cadre to get cracking for triumph

Vowing to convert Congress in Karnataka into a cadre-based party, its state president D K Shivakumar on Tuesday asked its frontal organisations and block units to immediately begin work for victory in the next assembly election.

Signalling sweeping changes in the party, he said, "If anyone wants to be a party office-bearer, he or she must be a booth-level worker first." The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee chief said there cannot be factions in the party and asked leaders and workers to be accountable. "We must convert this party from mass-based to cadre-based," Shivakumar said.

Addressing party workers and leaders here, he said, "The Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah has given me advice that we need to strengthen the Congress at booth- level, and we will. We must also send a message of unity to the entire country." Shivakumar said the party would plan a strategy to fight against BJP's alleged attempt to destroy the federal structure. Calling the frontal organisations - Seva Dal, Youth Congress, Mahila Congress - the backbone of the party, he said, "If they are not strengthened the party cannot grow."

Similarly, he said, if only the block units are strong can the party become strong." Further, he said there would be no factions in the party, there would be only one faction, that is, the Congress. The KPCC chief called upon party workers to work together from now itself so that party wins in all 224 assembly seats in the next elections and comes to power on its own. A meeting of party leaders, office-bearers was called for today to discuss the preparation for Shivakumar's formal take over as the party state president on July 2.

The function for the takeover was planned for June 14 after being postponed thrice in the past due to the COVID-19 restrictions. After remaining in a virtual vacuum for nearly three months, the party high command had on March 11 appointed Shivakumar, the six-time MLA, known to be the Congress's chief troubleshooter in crisis situations, in the place of Dinesh Gundu Rao as the KPCC chief. Rao had quit the post in December after the party's dismal show in the bypolls.