Aditi Tandon
New Delhi, July 24
The Congress on Sunday held an elaborate five-hour brainstorming here to discuss the roadmap for the upcoming Himachal Pradesh elections and decided to congregate in Shimla in early August for a state level meeting on poll strategy.
The meeting chaired by special AICC observer for Himachal elections and Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel ended with an understanding that the party needed to plan for Himachal elections "not with Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur in mind but with the realization that the entire BJP campaign would be planned and executed from the Centre."
AICC leaders said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP chief JP Nadda and Union minister Anurag Thakur were to be kept on top of all thinking insofar as Himachal election planning goes.
Also attended by AICC observers for state elections Partap Bajwa and Sachin Pilot, state Congress chief Pratibha Singh, CLP leader Mukesh Agnihotri, Himachal Congress working presidents and AICC secretaries for the state, the meeting held at Chhattisgarh Bhavan here lasted for five hours.
Sources said the participants had decided to meet with state level leaders in Shimla to further deliberate on the roadmap. "Tentative dates for the Shimla meeting are August 7 and 8. Bhupesh Baghel will come to Shimla for the meeting," a source said.
The Congress today also zeroed in on "Sarkar badlo, halaat badlo" as its principal election slogan in Himachal Pradesh and is working on more planks for canvassing with the understanding that rising prices, shrinking job market should remain at the centre of poll planning.
Sources said the party has also finalized a firm for social media and media strategizing and outreach, ahead of elections in the state.
On the issue of challenges, the leaders agreed that the ruling BJP would "put in everything it had" to retain power in the state, a home state of Nadda and Thakur.
"We discussed the fact that we cannot be complacent given BJP's recent return to power in UP and Uttarakhand, states not known to re-elect incumbent governments. We have to be prepared to not only preserve but also expand our vote base," a Congress leader said.
On the AAP, the AICC leaders felt it might play a spoiler as it did in elections in other states recently. "Our political responses have to factor the potential role of AAP," Congress leaders said.
Courtesy: Tribune News ServiceCan't be complacent
We discussed the fact that we cannot be complacent given BJP's recent return to power in UP and Uttarakhand, states not known to re-elect incumbent governments. We have to be prepared to not only preserve but also expand our vote base. — Congress leader
