LUCKNOW: Faced with the prospect of "now or never," the Congress launched a multi-pronged strategy to select candidates for the coming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. The strategy authored by the Member of Parliament from Amethi, Rahul Gandhi, aims at restoring the political credibility of the Congress.

A key component of the Congress' strategy is the likelihood of several big names, including the president of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee, Salman Khurshid, and eight sectors-in-charge, being asked to contest the elections from Assembly constituencies of their choice.

Congress sources said the party leadership had placed its bets on around 165 of the 403 Assembly seats where the Congress candidates secured more than 8,000 votes in the 2002 Vidhan Sabha polls. These constituencies include the seats of 15 sitting MLAs, who are expected to be repeated, 26 seats in which Congress nominees finished second in the 2002 polls and 47 Assembly segments of parliamentary constituencies where the Congress stood first in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections.

With Mr. Gandhi taking the responsibility of finalising candidates' names after a thorough and detailed assessment of their credentials, the first batch of around 150 hopefuls would be sounded of their selection by February end, the sources said.

Two high power meetings were held earlier this week in New Delhi for giving shape to the first list.

Present in the meeting were the Congress president and UPA chairperson, Sonia Gandhi, Mr. Gandhi, AICC general secretary in charge of U.P. affairs Ashok Gehlot and the UPCC president. Also present were three sectors-in-charge, who were called separately.

Meetings with five other sectors-in-charge would be held after February 15, the party sources added, as both the Congress president and Mr. Gandhi would be in Rae Bareli on February 13.

On a day-long visit to her constituency, Ms. Gandhi will lay the foundations of a rail coach factory in Lalganj and a footwear design and development centre in Fursatganj. Besides, she will inaugurate the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) centre in the ITI campus, before leaving for New Delhi.

Congress Legislature Party leader Pramod Tiwari was kept away from the selection committee meetings convened by Mr. Gandhi.

Exercise launched

The selection exercise was launched in 2006 when U.P. was divided into eight sectors, with each sector coming under the aegis of a sector in-charge.

This person was responsible for establishing mass contact up to the block level and mobilising party workers. In addition, they were directed to empanel prospective candidates.

Once this process was set in motion, the sectors-in-charge were called for a series of meetings with Mr. Gandhi to give him feedback about the Congress' prospects.

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