Bolster booth panels soon: A K Antony

Thiruvananthapuram: Congress leader A. K. Antony has urged the party workers to strengthen booth committees on a war footing ahead of the national elections five months away. 

He said they had a crucial role to counter the rumour mills of rival parties getting active in the last 48 hours before the ballot. He was inaugurating 'My booth, My pride' campaign at former KPCC president M. M. Hassan's home here on Saturday. Both the leaders vote at the booth number 92.

Mr Antony also blamed the 'inactive' booth committees for the debacle in the Chengannur by-election.

"I don't want to use the word, 'inactive' in Chengannur. But it was worse than that," he said. 

Regarding the controversy on the women's entry in Sabarimala, he said the BJP and LDF governments at the Centre and state had made the shrine into a conflict zone. The two-time chief minister said the state government took an immature step joining hands with the BJP.

"The Left government showed undue haste in implementing the Supreme Court verdict. The CPM has been trying to bombard their ideology on religious centres. It should have respected sentiments of the devotees," he said.

He also criticised the police action in Sabarimala instigated by the government.

As per the new voter's list, Congress has got 24,970 booths across the state which includes 500 new booths. 

The high power Political Affairs Committee had earlier decided to complete booth committee formation by Oct 25. 

All the senior leaders, KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran, Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala, CWC members Oommen Chandy and K. C. Venugopal, UDF convener, Benny Behanan, KPCC working presidents K. Sudhakaran, M. I. Shanavas and Kodikunnil Suresh, KPCC election campaign committee chairman K. Muraleedharan will be attending their respective home booth committee meetings.