Hyderabad: The Congress is lagging behind opposition the BJP and the BRS in declaration of candidates for Lok Sabha elections, even though filing of nominations will begin in four days on April 18. The Congress is yet to declare candidates for three Lok Sabha seats (Khammam, Karimnagar and Hyderabad) while the BJP and BRS have named all 17 of their candidates.
The delay in declaration of candidates has put party leaders and cadre in a state of confusion and this is impacting the party's campaigning with the top leadership still focussed on selection of candidates.
While the BJP and BRS candidates have hit the campaign trail and top leaders of both these parties are touring extensively and addressing public meetings, the Congress state leadership is looking at the party high command for clearing names of candidates. There is no clarity when the AICC's central election committee (CEC) will meet in Delhi to finalise candidates for the three pending seats.
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, who are members of the CEC, have to attend the meeting to finalise the candidates. Party sources said that the CEC meeting could take place either on April 15 or later.
Meanwhile, AICC general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal is arriving here on Sunday to review the party's election preparedness. He will hold a meeting with Revanth Reddy, Vikramarka and senior leaders and discuss the campaign strategy, party sources said.
All the 14 candidates whose names have been cleared were also invited for the meeting. Venugopal will review the progress of their campaigning, the strategies to be adopted and the issues to be raised during their campaigning.
The party leadership is planning to take an aggressive campaign on the performance of Congress government in the last four months, implementation of five out of six guarantees promised during the Assembly polls within 100 days of coming to power and take 'Panch Nyay and Pachhees Guarantees', promised in the national manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections.
