Congress chalks out strategy to woo voters

BC, minority sub-plans may find place in poll manifesto

Leveraging the opportunity knocking on its door post bifurcation, the Congress plans to include BC and minority sub-plans, among other key issues, in the election manifesto for Telangana.

Focus on key issues

Though the election manifesto could be a long one, party leaders decided to focus on five or six key issues that are likely to impress voters. At a meeting of the Telangana Congress campaign and manifesto committees at Gandhi Bhavan on Friday, chaired by AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh, issues that should be incorporated in the manifesto were discussed.

The meeting, attended by campaign committee chairman C. Damodar Rajanarasimha, co-chairman Md. Ali Shabbir, manifesto committee chief D. Sridhar Babu and co-chief Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, decided that the social justice plank should be widely publicised along with welfare and developmental programmes.

They also planned to project Hyderabad as a world class city for the all-round growth of the new State.

As part of this strategy, BC and minority sub-plans would be included in the manifesto.

Mr. Singh asked the manifesto committee to complete the preliminary exercise by March 22 and launch a website of its own to seek feedback and suggestions from the cross-section of the society. It wanted the manifesto committee to hold consultations with civil society members, intellectuals, students, youth and joint action committees of employees and others.

Mr. Sridhar Babu said the election manifesto would be the vision document for the reconstruction of Telangana while Mr. Bhatti Vikramarka said their efforts would be to develop a progressive new State.

Stating that the reconstruction of Telangana was possible only through the Congress, Mr. Sridhar Babu exuded confidence that it would ride to power in the wake of bifurcation with popular support. Mr. Bhatti Vikramarka said care would be taken to allay the fears of people from Seemandhra region, who are settled in Telangana.

The campaign committee decided that 30 star campaigners would be identified to tour Telangana as well as Seemandhra. Plans are afoot to shortlist names of some leaders, who could campaign in both the regions.