Kochi: Charged up by the resounding victory in the Puthuppally by-election, the Congress and its political grouping United Democratic Front are chalking out state-wide agitations to pin down the Left Democratic Front Government in the run-up to the 2024 general election.
Hectic arrangements are on to hold meetings of the Congress office-bearers and UDF party leaders on 12 and 13 of September, respectively.
The UDF leadership hopes the anti-incumbency wave that was clearly felt in the Puthuppally by-election would sustain till the Lok Sabha election.
The meeting will discuss the political strategies to keep the anti-government feelings alive across the state along with the preparedness for the ensuing LS election.
Organisational issues remain a challenge
Organisational issues are expected to come up for discussion at the Congress meeting. The leading opposition party has plans to reorganise the booth-level committees before November. Party leaders want to resolve existing organisational problems immediately in view of the national polls.
The efforts to set up Congress Unit Committees at the grass-root level have come a cropper so far. Leaders point out that only 25 per cent of the total targeted numbers has been constituted till date. Another goal to reorganise the party on semi-cadre line also remains a distant dream.
The reorganisation of the party units (like the Mandalam Committees) at the panchayath level is on. The party is yet to decide whether to continue with the task or to hold it after the Lok Sabha election is over.
Congress state leadership is of the view that an anti-incumbency sentiments apart from the 'sympathy wave' in the wake of Oommen Chandy’s demise played a vital role in its resounding victory in the Puthuppally bypoll.
The result would have been more impressive had the organisational set up of the party in Puthuppally was stronger, the leaders concluded.
Oommen Chandy’s son Chandy Oommen bagged the assembly seat with a record majority in the bypoll held on September 5.
Lok Sabha poll chances
On the UDF side, all the sitting Members of Parliament except Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president K Sudhakaran could be in the fray in the Lok Sabha polls again, but leaders don't rule out changes in the constituencies of a few. Though some sitting MPs are keen to opt for Assembly poll contest, they may not get such an exemption as the Congress national leadership wants the party to put up a strong fight in the 2024 election.
Though Muslim League has demanded one more seat to contest in the Lok Sabha polls, its wish is unlikely to be granted.
Congress leaders in Kerala, who have been assigned to oversee poll preparations in Lok Sabha constituencies, are yet to become active on the ground.
K Muraleedharan, the Vadakara MP, still remains iffy about his candidature and the decision on Sudhakaran’s replacement in Kannur is also to be made. Congress wants a strong candidate for the Alappuzha seat — the sole constituency in Kerala where the party lost in the 2019 general election. The local party leadership wants K C Venugopal, who is currently a member of the Rajya Sabha, to contest again.
Venugopal had earlier represented Alappuzha in the Lok Sabha. He is yet to open his mind on the matter.
The party high command will take a call on the candidatures after an internal survey in this regard is over.
Rahul Gandhi’s candidature from Wayanad is also a matter of suspense in the wake of the formation of the opposition alliance named INDIA to take on the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.
