Raipur: To keep major opposition Bharatiya Janata Party tied to its boundaries, Congress is going to play an improvised strategic move and within a week time of Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Chhattisgarh it decided to announce its first list of candidates for the forthcoming state assembly elections 2023. The proposed strategic move has been visualized as an unavoidable obligatory step for Congress to counter BJP’s action of unveiling the initial list of 21 candidates on August 17.
As per relevant sources, the Congress party is going to declare the first list of candidates by September 6. Meanwhile Rahul Gandhi’s visit has been scheduled on September 2.
Screening Committee's meeting will be scheduled at Rajiv Bhawan
A senior leader from the Congress party revealed that the Screening Committee's meeting is scheduled to convene at Rajiv Bhawan Raipur on September 4 and the Election committee meeting will be held on September 3. Following this, the party also planned to officially announce its first list of candidates by September 6.
Notably, the Political Affairs Committee of the Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee (CPCC) held a meeting at the state Congress party's headquarters, Rajiv Bhawan, in the state capital on Saturday. The meeting was attended by All India Congress Committee (AICC) In-charge General Secretary K C Venugopal, AICC General Secretary for Chhattisgarh Kumari Selja, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, State Congress President Deepak Baij, and other senior party leaders.
During the meeting, it was decided to grant tickets especially to the candidates having a proven track record, and chances of winning will be maximum. The committee members underscored the importance of ensuring that the selected candidates have a history of success in order to enhance the party's chances in the upcoming assembly elections.
Furthermore, the attendees expressed the opinion that Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel's achievements under the Congress-led government should be prominently highlighted as a means to attract voters in the approaching elections.
Dr. Shiv Kumar Dahariya, Minister of Labour, cautioned against officials who claim to have the authority to allocate assembly tickets to candidates. The tickets will be offered to only those aspiring applicants who are able to fulfill the laid parameters by the party, the Minister said. Intel gathering in this regard is under progress, he said.
For this assembly elections, AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal, has already set the targets of winning 70 assembly seats.
Meanwhile Kumari Selja, AICC General Secretary while speaking to media, informed that senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to participate in the Yuva Mitan Sammelan in Raipur city on September 2. Besides, Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge will participate in the Bharose Ka Sammelan in Rajnandgaon district on September 8.
Final decision to rest with Pradesh Election Committee
The candidate selection process entails a tiered approach, with applications being accepted at the Block Congress Committee (BCC) level until August 22. Subsequently, BCC meetings will be convened from August 24, where five chosen names will be forwarded to the District Congress Committee (DCC) by August 26. The DCC meeting is scheduled for August 29, during which three names will be recommended to the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) by August 31. The final decision will rest with the Pradesh Election Committee, which will provide one selected name to the Screening Committee, the Congress Chhattisgarh incharge said.
This time the party is also looking towards social engineering and women empowerment. So, there are chances that the number of young faces from all categories and women may increase, Congress leaders informed on the verge of anonymity.
