Congress entrusts collective leadership for assembly poll
- .Premachandran reports from New Delhi
CNM Politics
A collective leadership of the Congress, heading the Opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala, will spearhead campaign in the crucial April-May 2021 assembly poll in the state.
Briefing newspersons after a high level meeting of the party high command attended by, among others, three top leaders from the state, Congress Working Committee member and former Defence Minister A K Antony said the sole agenda is ”winning the election.”
He said the Chief Minister of the front would be decided after the poll.
Youth and women would get priority while selecting candidates for the hustings, the veteran leader said.
Stating the election would be different this time, Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala said a janakiya (popular) manifesto will be formulated for the election.
Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee President Mullappalli Ramachandran said candidates would be selected on the basis of laid down criteria.
Senior leader KC Venugopal, in charge of AICC organization said the UDF would come back to power after the poll.
The party had constituted a 10-member panel headed by former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy to oversee the election campaign.
Peeved over the worst ever drubbing in the recently concluded civic poll in the state, the party high
command had summomed Chandy, Chennithala and Ramachandran for talks on the issue.
The party had also constituted a 3 member panel headed by Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot to help General Secretary Tariq Anwar, incharge of party affairs in the state.
Earlier talking to newspersons Chandy ruled out dissension among the top leadership of the party in the state.
He blamed certain people for attempting to create friction among the leaders.
Hailing Chennithala, Chandy said he proved his mettle by his performance during the last couple of years.
