BENGALURU: Winnability, seniority in the party, the capacity to mobilise resources required for elections, and popularity in the constituency will be major criteria for shortlisting Congress candidates for the 2023 Assembly polls.
The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) has started the process of shortlisting candidates from among ticket aspirants, who have submitted applications.KPCC president DK Shivakumar has constituted committees that will visit all the districts to shortlist 1-3 candidates and send the list to the state party unit.Committee members have been informed to only consider candidates who enjoy the confidence of the local population and give priority to youngsters and women, who have a chance of winning the elections.
Shivakumar said the committee members should look at all the applications in their respective districts, assess their strengths and weaknesses, and finalise unanimous candidates after holding consultations with all leaders. In case of any differences among the aspirants, the committee members have been told to take the assistance of KPCC and AICC leaders to resolve the issue.
He also directed the committee members not to hold meetings at residences of leaders and not to allow any recordings. They have also been directed against issuing any statements to the media about the discussions during the meetings. The candidates involved in any anti-social activities or communal acts will not be considered. The committee members have been directed to start holding meetings immediately and send the shortlisted names to KPCC before January 1, 2023.
Meanwhile, former Union minister Margaret Alva will be in-charge of the committee that will look into the applications and shortlist the candidates in Bengaluru City Central, former CM M Veerappa Moily will head the committee in Kolar, and former Union minister KH Muniyappa in Tumakuru.