Congress gets set for second round

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the party and the United Democratic Front (UDF) completing the first round of campaigning, the Congress camp is upbeat about improving its performance in the Assembly elections compared with that in 2011. The next round will focus on door-to-door campaigns during day time and conventions in the evening.

Central leaders are expected to arrive only towards the fag end of the campaigning. The campaigning is yet to reach the desired levels and Congress leaders feel it will take another two more weeks to reach its crescendo. The district Congress committees have already taken stock of the number of seats the party and the UDF are expected to win.

However, they are yet to give a report to KPCC leadership. A senior woman Congress leader told DC that there are still issues brewing in some constituencies where local leadership has difficulty in accepting the candidates.
“The UDF is expected to get one more seat from the existing 11 in Ernakulam,” she said. “Thiruvananthapuram district will maintain its show.

Also, K. Sudhakaran and T. Siddique are expected to wrest the seat from CPM in Uduma and Kunnamangalam,” said the woman Congress leader. The Congress which drew a blank in Kollam last time will win the Chadayamangalam seat where Congress vice-president M. M. Hassan has been fielded.

“Mr Hassan has managed to bring back several local leaders who were unhappy with the Kollam DCC to the fold and he has initiated intense campaigning against CPI candidate Mullakkara Ratnakaran,” she said.

What is worrying the Congress candidates big time is paucity of funds. A top AICC leader told DC that it is still unclear whether AICC would be able to give substantial aid or just a token amount to the 87 Congress candidates in the fray.

“It is very difficult to maintain the electoral expenses for close to two-and-a-half months. Only the last 13 days to the elections would see intense campaigning as only then the candidates would get the funds flowing,” the leader said. He also added that Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi would come to the State for campaigning On May 10 to 12. Senior Congress leader A. K. Antony will be arriving by end of this month and he is expected to run his roadshow until May 14, the last day of campaigning.