BENGALURU: Ahead of taluk panchayat and zilla panchayet elections to be held in the next few months, senior JDS leaders have asked party workers across the state to work hard to strengthen the party and start preparing for elections. Addressing party leaders from across the state during a meeting in Bengaluru on Thursday, former Prime Minister and JDS supremo HD Deve Gowda said there are dedicated party workers in all districts and they should fight the elections unitedly.
The JDS leader also asked party workers to take up a membership drive in all taluks. Former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy said they will make major changes in the organisation after Sankranti (January 14) and form a state-level committee that comprises representatives from all 224 assembly segments. “The committee members will meet every month to discuss issues from across the state. Similar committees will be formed at the district and taluk levels.
We need to go to the people, understand their problems and take up programmes to help them,” he said. Kumaraswamy said taluk presidents will be changed if they fail to involve representatives from all booths in party work, and hold regular meetings. “If we don’t have big leaders in all booths, involve some youngsters, we will train them,” he said.
Stating that he is willing to work for 20 hours a day to strengthen the party, the former CM said that party leaders need to work hard for the next two-and-half years so they can win the next assembly elections. “There is no difficulty in winning 30 to 40 seats. Even now we can win those many seats, but we have depended on others (to form government). Let us work hard and reach out to people,” he said, adding that party leaders must ensure the JDS comes to power on its own.