Congress V-P gets ready for polls
After dropping the idea of pre-poll alliances, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has decided to take command of the party’s election campaign in Assam.
Disclosing that Mr Gandhi would be launching the election campaign of the state’s ruling party in the middle of February, Assam Congress president Anjan Dutta told this newspaper the party has decided not to tie up with any major political outfit but may rope in some small ethnic groups in the Bodoland Territorial Council and other tribal-dominated districts of Assam.
Indicating that a faction of a Bodo ethnic group has already agreed to join them, Mr Dutta said some more ethnic groups would also join.
Clarifying that their meeting with Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi was largely to formulate strategy for the 2016 Assembly polls, Mr Dutta said they are going to lay more stress on micro-management of election strategy instead of relying on alliances.
Pointing out that the Congress has decided to appoint three volunteers after every 100 voters to coordinate the elections, Mr Dutta said legislators have been asked to expedite the process of revamping the organisation at the grassroots level. “We have chalked out a plan for micro-management of every booth,” he said.
Mr Dutta, adding that the alliance of the BJP was not going to affect the prospects of the Congress and, instead, the BJP’s pact with the BPF would help the Congress.
Mr Dutta, who has succeeded in rejuvenating the organisational base of the party since he took over, said Mr Gandhi would be their star campaigner for the 2016 election. “Mr Gandhi has already given some tentative dates in February to start the campaign of the party in Upper Assam districts,” said Mr Dutta, reiterating that the party was not at all worried about the Opposition BJP and its bid to rope in regional parties. “We have decided to go on our own on the performance of the government,” said Mr Dutta, who arrived here on Friday after meeting Mr Gandhi in New Delhi. The meeting, on Thursday, was also attended by Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi and AICC general secretary in charge of Assam C.P. Joshi.
