Kerala elections: Cong to seek public opinion before drafting manifesto

The Congress in Kerala on Saturday decided to take public opinion into consideration before drafting a manifesto for the Assembly elections.

As the Congress high command took control of the election management in Kerala, party MP Shashi Tharoor was assigned the task to learn about the issues of a cross-section of people. Tharoor is among the 10-member election management and strategy committee for Kerala formed by the high command last week.

After the first meeting of the committee, its chairman and former chief minister Oommen Chandy told the media, “We have decided to take the opinion of the people before preparing the manifesto. The UDF manifesto should reflect the people’s sentiments and demands. Party MP Shashi Tharoor will meet a cross section of people, including youth and students, in various districts. He will hold discussions with various people to understand their problems. We want to look into what people require before finalising the manifesto.”

Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala later said that the food kit (welfare scheme) was not what helped LDF win local body elections. “Party leaders should go to the people. Many leaders do not know what is happening in their area,” he said.

The first meeting of the committee was attended by AICC delegates including Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, former Goa chief minister Luizinho Faleiro and former Karnataka deputy chief minister G Parameshwara. Last week, three other AICC leaders toured parts of the state, attending meetings of district and block level leaders, taking inputs on candidates and local political strategies.

The high command delegation gave a strong message to state leaders that winnability alone would matter in choosing candidates.