KOCHI: The Congress’ decision to organise a ‘Mahapanchayat’, perhaps the first event of its kind, to honour representatives who were elected in the recent local body elections, indicates a shift to full election mode as the party prepares for a long-term campaign to face the assembly elections.
The event to be held in Kochi on January 19, in which the Lok Sabha Opposition leader, Rahul Gandhi, is scheduled to speak, will bring together more than 13,000 party workers across the state, including the 7,800 representatives who won the local body elections.
By bringing together ground-level workers along with candidates who won and lost in the recent elections, the party is focusing on strengthening the organisational base and building the morale of workers.
According to state Congress president Sunny Joseph, the organisational base of the party is strong. “The victory in the recent local body elections indicates that the organisational strength of the party is strong. The event, bringing together all candidates, will further strengthen the party, and it will go beyond the upcoming assembly elections,” he told TNIE.
The move appears to be an attempt to energise party workers and address the issues in the party after being out of power for 10 years. For the party workers, the ‘Mahapanchayat’ is an unusual initiative that aims to boost the morale of workers from the booth level, and they consider this an indication of a major change in the organisational functioning of the party.
Sources confirmed that the Congress has been changing its poll strategies, with a shift from leader-centric politics to worker-centric organisation. “The Congress party has been changing its strategies. We are building a system, and the division committees have been formed and strengthened. There is more planning and communication. Even the discussions and decisions of the Lakshya summit have reached the party workers in the division committees. These events will keep the spirit of party workers alive,” said a source within the party.
“We need to appreciate the party candidates who contested and won the elections. We need to hand over the party’s political responsibilities to them. Including the candidates who could not win the election in the Mahapanchayat is also significant. It will help boost the party’s political campaign,” said Muhammed Shiyas, the Ernakulam DCC president.