BENGALURU : Top leaders of Congress will put on their ‘thinking hats’ and introspect on the loss at Sira and Rajarajeshwari Nagar Assembly bypolls, held recently, at a brainstorming session in the city on Monday. KPCC president DK Shivakumar, Opposition leader Siddaramaiah, former Parliamentary opposition leader Malikarjun Kharge, Maharashtra in-charge H K Patil, opposition leader in council S R Patil and others will take part in the meeting at Clarks Exotica, Sadahalli Gate.
Shivakumar, who has already held several rounds of discussion with his party colleagues on the bypoll losses, is holding the meeting to get a clear idea on how to get the party back on the winning track. Shivakumar told TNIE that the party leaders will again introspect on the bypoll defeat at the meeting.
They are also expected to take up the issue of OBC tag to Lingayats that Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa is proposing. While it looks like a winner for Yediyurappa, Congress leaders will deliberate on the party’s line of reaction.
Though many analysts and experts outside party circles have expressed concern over the OBC tag, saying it would reduce the share of the OBC pie to genuinely ‘backward’ classes, Congress will have to give out a weighted response, party sources said.
The leaders will also wrack their brains over the immediate challenge before the party, that is the bypolls to Maski and Basavakalyan Assembly constituencies and the Belagavi Lok Sabha seat. The two Assembly seats were won by Congress candidates in 2018, but repeating the performance in the bypolls will not be easy.
The leaders will discuss about choosing the right candidate for the Parliamentary bypolls.The party is expected to get a feedback on the ground situation on the gram panchayat elections and the leaders will discuss strategies to strengthen the party at the grassroots. They will also deliberate on the upcoming legislature session beginning from December 7.