Patel eyes ‘figure 51’ in next VS polls

Talks about Cong’s year-long plan to Hariprasada

Raipur, February 02, 2012 

PCC president Nandkumar Patel has reportedly set a target to will 51 seats in 2013 Assembly elections and to make his dream come true he has framed year-long strategy for the party. On Thursday, Patel met state unit incharge BK Hariprasada at New Delhi and informed him about the party schedule up to October 2013. Patel also met AICC treasurer Motilal Vora and Rajya Sabha member Mohsina Kidwai.

According to information, the party would finalise pending list of DCC presidents before March 31. Patel has assured Hariprasada that office-bearers of all the DCCs would also be appointed by the end of the current fiscal. While the seven vice presidents will be engaged with different cells and morchas to expand party domain.

Similarly, considering party’s district-level workers’ meetings to be organised in newly formed districts Balodabazar and Bemetara on February 14 and 15, Hariprasada has asked Patel to make the events grander than those conducted by Chief Minister during inaugural functions of the districts.

To intensify party activities at Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha levels, Patel has delegated jobs to the general secretaries and secretaries. While the general secretaries have been given charge of Lok Sabhas, 29 secretaries have been asked to increase Congress vote bank in 29 BJP stronghold legislative constituencies. The BJP has total 49 VS seats in the state. The Congress will also appoint incharges or supervisors in remaining 22 seats dominated by the ruling party before March 31.

Sources informed that besides media and administration, Patel also wants to keep the responsibility to steer Youth Congress and NSUI. For this, he is likely to appoint party general secretary Devvrat Singh as a coordinator who will assist him in overall management.

Patel has further informed Hariprasada that according to the scheduled plan, he would visit party’s state office once in a week while the incharges of Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha seats would assimilate only when they would be called.

Sources informed that Patel would himself start touring all the booths to see party preparations from May 2013.

Probables for presidents of pending DCCs

Among the frontrunners for DCC presidents, Inderchand Dhariwal is likely to be repeated for Raipur Urban. If the party would opt for young face then Sanjay Pathak will be the favourite choice. For Raipur Rural, Satyanarayan Sharma’s son Pankaj, Meenakshi Verma from Motilal Vora camp and Chandrashekhar Shukla from Vidya Charan Shukla camp are the probable faces. In Balodabazar district, contest is between three candidates – Purushottam Sahu from Vidya Charan Shukla camp, Yogesh Banjare from Rajkamal Singhania camp and Janakram Verma from Ajit Jogi cam. For Gariyaband district, the party will have to make choice from four candidates aspirants – Onkar Shah from Vidya Charan Shukla camp, Suresh Mishra from Dhanendra Sahu camp, Shyama Bai from Ajit Jogi camp and Nanrendra Dewangan from Amitesh Shukla camp.