Joint campaign for Lok Sabha polls not in Congress plan: RC Khuntia

With the election notification to Lok Sabha expected in 15 to 20 days, the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee is girding up its loins. AICC general secretary in charge of Telangana RC Khuntia on Wednesday exuded confidence of Congress coming up trumps in Telangana.

What makes you think that Congress has winning prospects in the ensuing LS polls when even senior party candidates have bitten the dust in the December assembly election?

Victories and defeats in elections are not new to Congress. Lok Sabha elections are a different ball game. It’s a contest between Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi. Though local issues will be there, focus will be on national issues.

The Congress-led Praja Kutami had failed to win the confidence of voters in the assembly polls. Will the alliance of Congress-TDP-TJS-CPI continue in the LS polls too?

Rahul Gandhi will take a decision on the alliance. Of course, we will submit the opinion of Telangana Congress leaders and cadre on the issue to the party leadership.

Has the Congress chalked out a campaign strategy for the ensuing polls?

Our strategy is that we will not be taking up a joint campaign with any political party in the LS polls. Apart from Rahul Gandhi addressing public meetings, we are requesting Priyanka Gandhi to come here.

Does this mean that Congress would go it alone in the LS polls?

As on date, I can tell you that the alliance that was formed during the assembly polls is very much there. Yes, there is pressure on us from party leaders that we should contest all the 17 LS seats.

Can the voters expect announcement of Congress candidates earlier?

The delay in seat-sharing among the alliance partners was one of the reasons for the defeat of Congress candidates in addition to misuse of official machinery, money power and lakhs of voters’ names being deleted and alleged EVM tampering. Our effort is to finalise the candidates for LS by month-end or first week of March and send the list to the AICC.

Will the heavyweights who lost the assembly polls be considered again?

Several parameters are being taken into consideration before finalising a candidate and winning prospects will definitely be on top of the list. The leadership will take a final decision. However, many heavyweights who lost the assembly polls have not applied for LS tickets.