Delay in forming Congress’s booth committees puts off Rahul’s rally plan

BENGALURU: Congress's efforts to strengthen its grassroot connect by forming booth level committees in all the 224 Assembly constituencies is struggling to keep pace with its poll preparation plans. The process of forming booth level committees by September last week has seen just 60 per cent progress and the delay has forced KPCC to defer its plans to hold a Booth Agents’ Convention to be addressed by AICC Vice-president Rahul Gandhi.

AICC General Secretary incharge of party affairs in Karnataka K C Venugopal has drawn up an action plan as part of the strategy to ensure Congress victory in 2018 Assembly election. Forming Booth Committees for all 55,000 polling booths in the state tops his agenda. KPCC president G Parameshwara had declared in August that the process would be completed by mid September. He had also announced that a convention of Booth Agents would be organised by September end and it will be addressed by Rahul Gandhi.

With the formation of booth committees not keeping pace, Rahul’s rally is likely to be held in mid October. “Formation of Booth Committees has been completed in about 80 per cent of the booths in northern Karnataka. Each committee would have 13 to 20 members. Party rank and file is now involved in ‘Mane Manege Congress’ campaign,” KPCC Working President S R Patil told Express.

However, according to party sources, the overall progress in the state in forming booth committees is about 60 per cent and the party local leadership has been instructed to speed up the process to prepare the party for electoral battle ahead. The party has chalked out ‘Indiramma-- 100’ padayatras in all the 224 constituencies from November 1 as part of the centenary celebrations of late former prime minister Indira Gandhi. The celebrations will conclude with a massive rally on November 19, the birth anniversary of Indira Gandhi.