Cong sets ball rolling for LS polls in Maharashtra

The ruling Congress party in Maharashtra has launched preparations for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections in  all 48 parliamentary seats in the state.

“We have already launched preparations for general elections. Priority is being given to consolidate party organisation upto booth level by appointing booth level agents,” Sachin Sawant, state Congress spokesman said.

Congress observers for all 48 parliamentary constituencies in the state have already completed their visits and submitted their reports to the party high command. “Party observers in all 48 constituencies have already completed their first round,” said Sawant.

A senior Congress minister, who did not wish to be identified, told Business Standard: “The present political situation, both at the national and state level, will have its direct impact on the Lok Sabha elections. The 2G scam, Coalgate, AgustaWestland deal at the national level and the multi-crore irrigation scam, corruption in the purchase of material in tribal development schemes and on top of it, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s recent ‘urine remarks’ will be taken up by the opposition against the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) at the state level. Therefore, the party has taken a conscious decision to effectively counter these charges by reaching out to voters with a slew of development and welfare schemes implemented by both, the Central and state governments.”

The Congress has geared up by cashing in on Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan’s “Mr Clean” image and also by consolidating its position among its traditional voters such as Dalits, Muslims, Other Backward Castes and tribals.

The party had contested 26 of the 48 Lok Sabha seats and won 17 in the 2009 general elections, while eight were bagged by the NCP, three by independents and 20 by the Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party alliance. The party has stepped up its efforts in the 17 seats it won and the nine seats it lost in the last elections, by holding a number of workshops from booth level to district level. These constituencies include Palghar, Raigad, Sangli, Shirdi (which was left to party’s ally, the Republican Party of India), Dhule, Aurangabad, Jalna, Yavatmal-Washim and Chandrapur.

Sawant admitted that the present drought condition prevailing in 122 talukas was a matter of concern. However, he said,  the state government has taken several decisions to provide much-needed relief to drought-affected people.

The Congress’ initiative is significant, especially since NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday asked the United Progressive Alliance to be ready for polls as its position had become vulnerable after the withdrawal of support by the Trinamool Congress and recently by the Dravida Munnetra Kazagham.