Cong manifesto may be region-specific

In the State Election Committee meeting of the UP Congress,chaired by AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi in Lucknow on Tuesday.

In the State Election Committee meeting of the UP Congress,chaired by AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi in Lucknow on Tuesday,party leaders were asked to identify region-specific issues and promises that can be incorporated in the party manifesto.

According to sources,Rahul indicated that the Congress manifesto in Uttar Pradesh would be region and community specific. He asked the party to formulate a mass-level programme to connect with the rural masses so that the party emerges as a strong alternative,a leader said.

AICC secretary Parvez Hasmi,who participated in the meeting,said the party would declare its first list within this month.

He has asked us to identify region-specific promises we can offer to people when we approach them during elections,be it in Bundelkhand,Central,Western or Eastern Uttar Pradesh. He asked us to find out what people in different regions of UP want from the party so that it can be kept in mind while making the manifesto, said a committee member.

The committee has all six Union ministers from UP,AICC general secretary Digvijaya Singh,secretary Parvez Hashmi,etc. Beni Prasad Verma could not participate in the meeting as he was scheduled to take oath as Union Cabinet minister on Tuesday.

While the meeting was called to discuss names of candidates for the coming Assembly elections,sources said hardly any discussion took place on individual seats or candidates because of shortage of time.

Only one major policy decision was taken: no district president would be allowed to contest the election and in exceptional circumstances,such candidates would be accepted only after approval from Rahul Gandhi.

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Each committee member has been given a compiled document of names suggested by district Congress committees. Members have been asked to come up with objections or fresh suggestions on each of the seats by July 20,Hashmi said.

In the document,there are only 11 seats on which only one name has been proposed. These include six seats that have a sitting MLA,including that of Congress Legislature Party leader Pramod Tiwari,Rampur Khas. Other seats include Bilaspur,Garautha,Kunda,Allahabad west and Allahabad north,Maurainipur,Lucknow west,Mathura etc.

State Congress president Rita Bahuguna Joshi said there are about three dozen such seats. Interestingly,despite her refusal to contest from Lucknow Cantonment,her name has been suggested among two other probables from that seat,sources said. As a state president,I cannot contest election. I will contest only on the direction of the high command, Joshi said after the meeting.

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