NEW DELHI: A month after taking over as the interim chief, Sonia Gandhi will on Thursday meet key central and state office bearers to chalk out a strategy to launch a massive drive and campaign to connect with the people.
Sonia is likely to address AICC in charges, state party chiefs and leaders of Congress Legislature Party at the headquarters. The meeting is also scheduled to discuss various preparations and events to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on October 2.
According to party sources, the Congress wants to launch a membership drive ahead of the Assembly polls in Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand.
“During her meetings with various functionaries in states where there are Congress-ruled governments —Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Punjab and Puducherry — she directed them to continue the membership drive and improve mass connect. This meeting is expected to focus on taking up membership drive in key states keeping in mind Assembly polls next year,” said a senior party leader.
The party also plans to launch a training programme for cadres and discuss key issues that need to be raised to take on the BJP-ruled government. The meeting comes at a time when the Congress president is expected to rejig top appointments in key states amid ongoing infighting in state party leadership in few states.
A Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting was convened at Sevagram in Wardha last October to set in motion the year-long celebrations to commemorate 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. “Mahatma Gandhi was always concerned about the last man in the line and strove at taking everybody along,” said the CWC resolution.
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