Cong readies its cadres for alliance with JD(S) for 2019 Lok Sabha polls
In his last meeting as KPCC president, G Parameshwara on Saturday asked party office-bearers to prepare to work with the JD(S) in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. In a meeting held to reflect upon Congress’ drubbing in the Assembly elections, Parameshwara reiterated the need to unitedly take on BJP and asked the party cadres to work towards wooing dominant communit
Published: 03rd June 2018 02:36 AM | Last Updated: 03rd June 2018 05:42 AM | A+A A-
Deputy CM G Parameshwara, H T Sangliana and other Congress leaders during the KPCC office-bearers and district presidents meeting at Sardar Patel Bhavan, in Bengaluru on Saturday | Pandarinath B
BENGALURU:In his last meeting as KPCC president, G Parameshwara on Saturday asked party office-bearers to prepare to work with the JD(S) in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. In a meeting held to reflect upon Congress’ drubbing in the Assembly elections, Parameshwara reiterated the need to unitedly take on BJP and asked the party cadres to work towards wooing dominant community members — a section that refused to support Congress in the recent assembly elections.
District presidents and office-bearers of the party have been asked to file a report detailing the reasons for the party’s humiliating performance in the recently concluded elections. The party has also asked leaders to prepare a list of members who worked tirelessly during the election. While the agenda of the meeting was to reflect upon the loss the party suffered, it was more an exercise to prepare the cadres to work with JD(S) in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Congress and JD(S) have decided to unitedly take on the BJP in 2019. “We have to strategise better for all upcoming polls. Apart from rectifying the mistakes we have committed, there is a need to energise our cadres for 2019,” Parameshwara said after the meeting.
The KPCC president is said to have highlighted the party’s failure in wooing dominant communities of Lingayats and Vokkaligas during the meeting. While AHINDA - an acronym for minorities, backward classes and Dalits - has been the party’s core vote base, Parameshwara is said to have asked party cadres to work towards wooing the dominant communities to ensure consolidation of votes.
Speaking to the media, Parameshwara hinted that senior leaders of the party who have been ministers at least twice may not be accommodated in the coalition government cabinet. “There is a proposal to consider new faces, but the decision lies with the high command,” he said. Parameshwara denied all speculation of him being unhappy over AICC general secretary K C Venugopal announcing that H D Kumaraswamy will be the CM for the full five-year term.
