After a landslide victory in Karnataka, the Congress party is getting started on its campaign strategy for Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, both of which are headed to elections before the end of this year.
On Monday, senior Congress leaders from MP and Rajasthan convened a meeting with party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters in New Delhi.
The meeting highlights the Congress' efforts to activate party cadres and prepare the ground for the assembly polls.
Madhya Pradesh
Former chief ministers Kamal Nath and Digvijay Singh, along with other prominent party members had a detailed meeting on Monday afternoon after which Rahul Gandhi declared that the party aims to get 150 seats in the 230-seat Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly.
#WATCH | Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, General Secretary KC Venugopal and Rahul Gandhi's meeting with party leaders from Madhya Pradesh, begins at the party headquarters in Delhi.
State party chief Kamal Nath, Digvijaya Singh and other leaders present.(Video: AICC) pic.twitter.com/cafs5H4gTk— ANI (@ANI) May 29, 2023
The goal has been positively accepted by state Congress leaders such as Kantilal Bhuria who, after the meeting, said, "Rahul (Gandhi) has given us the target of (winning) 150 seats and we will achieve it."
Rajasthan
Ahead of the Congress meeting in Rajasthan on Monday, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot denied any claims of "formulae" being speculated to work out his spat with Sachin Pilot. He added that the party is too "strong" to ever need to make an offer to "pacify" someone.
"Never in my life have I seen a tradition in Congress that a leader demands something or high command asks him what post he wants," Gehlot told reporters. "High Command and Congress party are so strong that such a situation will not arise that you are making an offer to pacify someone. It has never happened. It will never happen..."
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Speaking on the highly-anticipated meeting earlier this morning, Kharge confirmed both Pilot and Gehlot's attendance. He said that the Congress leaders will discuss and decide "whatever is in the interest of the party."
Delhi and Punjab
Kharge also met with Congress leaders from Delhi and Punjab, wherein he was told by policymakers that there would be no alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi.
"They also told him that the party should not be seen standing with Arvind Kejriwal on the issue of Centre's ordinance on the transfer to Delhi officials. Though, the leaders have left it to high command to take a final decision," sources said.
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Similar sentiments were echoed by Punjab Congress President Navjot Singh Sidhu on the question of alliance with AAP in 2024.
"An alliance cannot be formed if there are ideological differences," Sidhu told reporters on Monday.
With agency inputs.
(Edited by : Pradeep John)
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