Congress to replicate BJP formula to capture Telangana

With Karnataka in its bag after a bitterly-fought wrestle, the Congress is now not leaving any stones unturned. The party is firming up its efforts in the South. With barely a year to go for the elections in Telangana, preparations have already begun. Party general secretary Ashok Gehlot is slated to visit Hyderabad on May 29-30 to speak to state party leaders.

In Telangana, where the Assembly Elections are scheduled for April next year, the party is looking at replicating the BJP's 'panna pramukhs' model. Instead of making a party worker responsible for a sheet of voter data, the Telangana Congress is going to build a model of booth and mandal committees. In a booth, there are usually over 3-4 mandals; and Telangana has over 32,000 polling booths.

Leaders of over 7,500 booths have already been appointed, while the entire exercise is likely to end in a few weeks. "The party has sent out to the workers and appointees the idea that only merit and result will give them any sort of recognitions," said a party person involved in the process.

With the BJP sharpening its efforts in the state, the party is keen to have some sort of an edge. The Karnataka drama, where Telangana Rashtra Samithi leader, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao lent some support, has also brought to fore the question of whether the parties will come together ahead as part of the Federal Front. If not, the Congress could enter into pre-poll alliances with the CPI, the CPM and the newly-formed Telangana Jana Samithi (TJS), which was launched earlier this year by M Kodandaram, who was earlier close to KCR but fell out with him later.

Gehlot’s Hyd visit

AICC General Secretary Ashok Gehlot would visit Hyderabad in the last week of this month to discuss the party’s preparations for the Assembly polls, besides organisational issues.