BENGALURU: Ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections in Karnataka, Congress leaders are getting ready to start the spadework, with surveys at the local and constituency level. Legislators and candidates will focus on their areas, and the surveys will be conducted by private agencies.
The Congress, which has 69 MLAs in the 225-strong Assembly, has set a target of 150 seats. On one side, Congress leaders are conducting various conventions, including Siddaramotsava, to mark the 75th birthday of the former chief minister, while on the other, Siddaramaiah and KPCC chief DK Shivakumar are gearing up for separate local surveys through private agencies. One of the surveys includes non-Congress constituencies. They are also planning a survey of Congress MLAs’ constituencies, and those which have a strong party candidate. They will assess the demographics booth-wise and caste-wise, and other issues that will help candidates win polls.
A senior Congress leader, who wished to remain anonymous, said the way elections are fought has changed over the years. We need to stay updated on what’s happening at the ground level, and surveys will be conducted accordingly. “We have written to candidates, including sitting MLAs, to get studies done through agencies, and more than 35 MLAs and candidates have agreed. It will take three months to complete, and based on it, we can gear ourselves for the elections,” he said. There are a few trusted agencies which carry out such surveys, and a list will be given to the candidates to choose, a leader said.