High command gives K’taka Cong target of 20 seats in 2024 LS polls; stresses on unity

Shyam Sundar Vattam | NT

Bengaluru: While stressing on the need for unity, the Congress High Command wants the Siddaramaiah-led government in Karnataka to make optimum utilisation of the five guarantee schemes and win a minimum 20 seats in the coming Lok Sabha polls.

The High Command had invited around 50 Congress leaders from Karnataka including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K.Shivakumar, apart from several ministers, legislators, and former CM Jagadish Shettar, for a preliminary discussion on the parliamentary polls.

Presided over by AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, former AICC President Rahul Gandhi, Congress National Organising Secretary K.C.Venugopal and Congress National General & In-Charge of Karnataka Affairs Randeep Singh Surjewala, attended the meeting and invited suggestions from the Karnataka leaders to win the parliamentary polls.

A senior Congress leader who was one of the invitees, told News Trail that the Delhi leaders wanted a conducive atmosphere in Karnataka for the Congress after the implementation of the guarantee schemes so that it can take advantage of the situation to woo voters.

The leader said there was no discussion regarding the candidates for the various constituencies. But the Delhi leaders wanted Karnataka leaders to work as a team like they did during the recent Assembly polls. There have been rumblings in the Karnataka COngress of late with some MLAs insisting on calling a Congress Legislature Party meeting to discuss their problems.

The high command felt the CM must address the problems of every MLA. Legislators must be kept happy by releasing funds for the development of their constituencies ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. At the same time, there must be no expression of dissent in public because it would tarnish the party and the government’s image.

Grievances must be aired within the party forum and not on the public platform. The adverse comments made by a senior Congress leader and MLC B.K.Hariprasad recently which provided fodder for the opposition BJP and Janata Dal (Secular) to say all is not well in the ruling Party, was the reason for this debate.

The Delhi leaders have agreed to dispatch Surjewala or other leaders to Karnataka well in advance to prepare the pitch for the coming Lok Sabha polls.

At any cost, the BJP’s tally must be reduced to single digit from the current 25 seats, party leaders said. Rahul Gandhi agreed to convene more such meetings in the coming days to work out the strategies to win the maximum number of seats from Karnataka in the coming LS Polls.