NEW DELHI: The Congress Working Committee, the apex decision-making body of the party, will meet on October 9 to discuss and chalk out campaign strategies for the upcoming assembly elections in five states.
This will be the second meeting of the CWC after Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge reconstituted it on August 20 this year. The first meeting took place in poll-bound Telangana on September 16.
The meeting is likely to deliberate on key issues such as women’s reservation, caste census, seat-sharing between INDIA parties and misuse of Central agencies against Opposition. According to senior leaders, party cadres are upbeat as it is seeking to retain power in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, hoping to replace the BJP in Madhya Pradesh, BRS in Telangana and the Mizo National Front (MNF) in Mizoram.
Recently, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi exuded confidence that the Congress is winning in Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, while they have a chance in Telangana. Some of the surveys have also shown that Congress has the upper hand in three states. The senior leaders are also expected to discuss the caste census, the main electoral plank of Congress in the poll-bound states.
During the campaigns, Rahul Gandhi has been consistently making the demand for a pan-India caste census and the inclusion of Other Backward Classes (OBC) within the ambit of the Women’s Reservation Bill. While the party is hoping to corner the BJP on caste census, senior Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi’s stand on the issue led to some discomfort in the party. Singhvi had maintained that those batting for rights on the basis of population should understand its consequences, asserting that it will lead to majoritarianism. Though the party distanced itself from Singhvi’s view, it wants all the leaders to be on the same page.
The meeting is also likely to deliberate on the seat-sharing arrangements between the constituents of the INDIA bloc. Interestingly, during a media conclave on Wednesday, NCP chief Sharad Pawar said that AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal was willing to give three out of seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi to Congress. Both parties are still at loggerheads after Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira was arrested by the AAP government in Punjab.
As some opposition leaders belonging to TMC, DMK and AAP are facing heat from Central agencies, the meeting may discuss strategies to counter the BJP government on this. They will also decide on extending support to arrested AAP leader Sanjay Singh.