The Hindu : Congress bracing for Assembly elections

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, May 17, 2003

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National

Congress bracing for Assembly elections

By Javed M. Ansari

NEW DELHI MAY 16. The Congress party's poll preparations in the five States scheduled to go the hustings later this year is picking up momentum. The leadership of these States and the party's election strategy committee will meet here tomorrow to fine-tune the electoral strategy.

The strategy sessions will focus on Chhattisgarh, Mizoram and Delhi. On Sunday, the election strategy committee will devote itself to Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. The States will be represented by the Chief Minister, the CLP leaders, the PCC chiefs and the AICC general secretary in-charge of the States concerned.

The 11-member committee is headed by Manmohan Singh and the other members are Arjun Singh, Shivraj Patil, Ahmed Patel, Ambica Soni, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Oscar Fernandes, Mani Shankar Aiyer, Magaret Alva, Salman Khursheed and Major Ved Prakash. The committee has been meeting with the State leaders from time to time to keep track of the political situation in the States and to check poll readiness of its State units.

The committee has also been studying the recommendations of the Antony Committee, which was set up to analyse the party's dismal showing in the last general elections. Some of the shortcomings highlighted by the committee such as lack of adequate and timely poll preparation are also receiving attention.

The strategy committee has been contemplating the issues that the other parties may raise. In Rajasthan, for instance, drought management is being given top priority. It is also trying to identify issues that will influence the voter's mind and to get the party to adequately address them.

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