C'garh Cong may declare candidates in advance on 'weak' seats

"Congress will try to announce names of candidates at least three months in advance on those seats where the party suffered frequent defeats in past elections," AICC general secretary and state in-charge B K Hariprasad said.

He was addressing a workshop for party workers at Ramanujganj today.

Taking a dig at BJP over suspension of Rajya Sabha MP Ram Jethmalani, Hariprasad said, "the BJP has always adopted double standards. When Jethmalani pointed finger at Lord Ram, the saffron party which centres its politics around Lord Ram kept mum. Now, when Jethmalani questioned the dubious business deals involving Nitin Gadkari he was suspended".

The state unit party chief Nand Kumar Patel claimed the ruling Raman Singh government would have to bite the dust in the 2013 Assembly elections as "people are fed up with its ill-governance".

As part of its preparedness for polls, Congress is organising dedicated workshops for party workers at as many as 51 seats from where the party has no representation in the state Assembly.

Patel said that these "weak" seats are mainly spread across the tribal-dominated region.

"Congress lost on as many as 15 such seats in at least three elections. We will try to announce the names of contestants two-three months in advance so that the candidates and workers get an opportunity to expand their base and cultivate the concerned constituency," he said.