BENGALURU: With gaps widening between party leaders in the Karnataka Congress, the All India Congress Committee is taking a number of measures to fight assembly polls unitedly. Starting Tuesday, General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala started meeting MLAs and local leaders from each assembly constituency. This apart, the party is also releasing a second mega list of office-bearers to accommodate more people in the KPCC.
On Tuesday, Surjewala meet Congress MLAs, former MLAs and other local leaders from all 28 assembly constituencies of Bengaluru. Sources in the KPCC said there are a number of groups in the Karnataka Congress, led by KPCC President DK Shivakumar, Opposition Leader Siddaramaiah, MB Patil and others. While AICC hopes to get things moving smoothly, the differences between leaders is a hindrance. Surjewala on Tuesday advised them to keep their differences aside and fight the polls unitedly.
Sources said the Congress is planning to announce the list of candidates for assembly elections six months ahead, so they get time to work, especially those contesting from constituencies the Congress lost in the last elections.
“Surjewala is here to send a message that they will announce candidates’ names six months before elections, and everyone in the constituency has to work unitedly for victory,’’ sources said. Surjewala, who will be in Bengaluru till Thursday, will meet Congress MLAs and leaders from Davanagere and Chitradurga districts on Wednesday.
Surjewala will be back on April 18 for two days. “He will be meeting another set of MLAs and leaders from other districts, and personally try to keep hold of leaders in each constituency,” sources added.
Recently, the AICC released a list of 149 office-bearers, including 40 vice-presidents and 109 general secretaries. But this list did not go down well with party leaders who could not be accommodated.
In order to strengthen the party and accommodate more people as office-bearers, AICC will be releasing an additional 30 names as general secretaries and 200 to 250 secretaries in the next week. Several names recommended by Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah had been left out, leading to much heartburn, but will now be accommodated.