PANJIM: After facing a series of electoral debacles in major States, where it had a hold for years, the Congress on Thursday said that the 2017 Goa Assembly polls would be the first step towards rejuvenating the party’s lost glory.
Announcing that it would introduce fresh young faces at the polls due next year, Congress has set a deadline of September 30 to shortlist candidates in all 40 Assembly constituencies.
Addressing media persons, AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh said the party is working out election strategies to counter the BJP, whose only political policy is ‘polarisation of people on the basis of religion’.
“We are definitely looking at 2017 Assembly election as a spark for revival of the party,” Singh said, adding that the current trend, where Congress is facing defeat, is a matter of serious concern.
The Congress on Thursday faced defeats in Assembly elections in Kerala, WB, Assam and Tamil Nadu.
“Congress has always bounced back though the current trend is a matter of concern. We will try to fight back,” the Congress leader said reacting to a question on the impact of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to people to have ‘Congress Mukt’ India.
The recently constituted Congress co-ordination committee chaired by Singh held its first meeting Thursday morning, wherein block committees have been directed to conduct assessment of candidates and submit the list for all 40 constituencies by July 31 to the district committees that will in turn scrutinise the list and place it before the Pradesh Congress Committee by August 31.
“By September 30, the names would be before AICC, which will then set up a screening committee to finalise it,” Singh said reiterating that Congress has always welcomed new faces and for the forthcoming polls too this would be encouraged.
It is learnt that workers and MLAs have been asked to go to the people trying to build confidence among them and assure that past mistakes would not be repeated.
The party has decided to hold workers’ rallies in all constituencies starting from May 21, reaching out to the people with past achievements of the UPA-led governments and failures of the State BJP government.
