ULB polls: Congress releases guidelines for ticket aspirants

Popularity of the candidate, subscription to the party’s mouthpiece

National Herald, and enrolment under Shakti, an app for booth-level connectivity, are among the guidelines for those seeking Congress ticket to contest the elections to urban local bodies, scheduled to be held on August 29.

The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) has issued a three-page guideline list to be followed by block- and district-level committees while selecting candidates. With thousands of candidates vying for ticket to contest polls in 2,574 wards of 105 ULBs in 22 districts, the party is expected to strengthen its grassroots cadre ahead of the Lok Sabha elections next year.

The party is also using the opportunity to raise the subscription base of National Herald. At present, the yearly subscription costs ₹1,100.

The block-level committees, comprising their president, legislators, KPCC and District Congress Committee (DCC) office-bearers, have been asked to study the background, popularity, influence, caste factor, and social service history of the aspirants. They have been asked to scrutinise the aspirants’ membership in the party and other details such as criminal history.

The guidelines say that candidates should be selected unanimously from among several aspirants and all block-level leaders need to be consulted. Youngsters and aspirants from SC and ST communities are to be identified based on their popularity and reservation quota in each ward. The block-level committee would submit a list of candidates to the DCC for scrutiny. The DCC will submit a list to the KPCC for the final selection. The DCCs include its president, district in-charge Minister, MLAs, MPs, MLCs, and defeated Assembly poll candidates.

To avoid conflicts at the local level during the polls, the KPCC has made it mandatory for all aspirants to take an oath to support the chosen candidate. The oath-taking would take place at the party workers’ meeting after the final selection of candidates. All aspirants would have to pledge their support to the candidate and towards his or her win.

The Congress and the JD(S), which have a coalition in the State, have decided to go it alone in the ULB polls. The campaign is expected to pick up by next week.