Congress to take out bus yatra on the lines of 1999 Panchajanya yatra to display collective leadership

KPCC seeks release of first list before yatra; huge conventions planned to highlight BJP’s alleged failures

Sending a strong message to the factions in the Karnataka Congress to face the 2023 Assembly elections under collective leadership, AICC president M. Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday told top Congress leaders from the State that the leadership issue would be decided only after the party gets majority in the Assembly polls.

While the leaders have been asked to put up an united face, Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah and KPCC president D.K. Shivakumar have been directed to take out a joint yatra on the lines of Panchajanya yatra taken out by Congress leaders in 1999 that led to the formation of the S.M Krishna government. The message comes a couple of days after Mr. Kharge asked the State leaders to leave the selection of Chief Minister to the high command even as Mr. Siddaramaiah and Mr. Shivakumar are seen involved in jockeying for the Chief Minister’s post.

“There will be no separate bus yatras as planned earlier. It was decided to take out the bus yatra jointly by Mr. Siddaramaiah and other senior leaders. The dates of the yatra would be decided in the first week of January. Leaders have been asked to remain united to propel the party to power,” Working president Saleem Ahmed told The Hindu after over a three-hour long meeting of Karnataka leaders with Mr. Kharge at AICC headquarters in Delhi to strategize and review electoral preparedness. “The party will go to polls under collective leadership.”  

Another senior leader pointed out that the Congress did not announce the chief ministerial face in the previous elections, and that the same tradition would continue even this time. “Leaders have been sternly told that the chief ministerial issue will be discussed only after Congress crosses 113 (simple majority) mark.”

The KPCC also urged the Central leaders to release the list of 150 candidates shortly so that they could prepare the ground for elections. While the scrutiny committee is yet to submit its list, a senior leader said that preparations are under way to announce the list of candidates before the party plunges into conventions and yatras. “Even if the list is not possible, the names of the candidates will be indicated at the respective constituencies,” Mr. Ahmed said.

Meanwhile, after the party leaders deliberated on poll strategies to take on the ruling BJP in 2023 elections, it has been decided to have a series of political rallies to raise important issues. Congress general secretary in charge of Karnataka Randeep Surjewala told reporters in Delhi that a huge convention has been scheduled on December 30 in Vijayapura to raise Krishna water issue while on January 2 a rally has been scheduled in Hubballi to raise Mahadayi river issue. “We will lay down a roadmap on how the Congress will implement the project, how the water will flow, and how the BJP has faltered at both the Centre and State level will be discussed,” he said.

Stating that the BJP has betrayed the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes communities, Mr. Surjewala said that a SC/ST convention in Chitradurga will be held on January 8. “Similarly a backward classes convention will be held and dates will be shared soon. In the first fortnight, a joint yatra will commence all the district headquarters and finally all 224 Assembly constituencies will be covered within a period of 45 days. This is an extensive plan chalked out for next 75 days,” he said.