Taking a lesson out if its setback in the Lok Sabha polls, the Kerala Congress (M) is embarking on a major drive to strengthen its grassroots connections.
With the upcoming civic elections next year, the KC (M) is organizing a conclave of party leaders, from mandalam presidents to State-level office bearers, this Friday. The gathering aims to conduct a thorough analysis of voting patterns and swings from the previous Lok Sabha elections.
โThe decision to convene this meeting stems from the realization that the Left Democratic Front cannot proceed into the civic elections without addressing the current issues within the coalition, particularly in its stronghold of Kottayam,โ said a senior KC(M) leader.
To facilitate this analysis, the party leadership has distributed forms to mandalam and assembly committee presidents, requesting detailed information on the votes received by each party in each ward during the previous elections. These forms are to be presented at the meeting on Friday for further discussion and planning.
Party sources indicated that a comprehensive examination of the Lok Sabha polls at the mandalam level will take place based on these reports, focusing on factors such as voting trends in each leaderโs booths, party activities, and cooperation with coalition partners. Mandalam presidents have also been tasked with compiling a list of potential candidates for the upcoming civic elections, both for seats contested in the last elections and for new seats the party aims to target. Additionally, leaders are encouraged to raise any issues or concerns regarding coalition partners at the mandalam or niyojaka mandalam level.
Besides the local bodies, the party also aims to prepare for the elections in cooperative institutions, which are slated to elect new administrative boards in next six months. The meeting will also address important topics such as establishing committees to submit the partyโs recommendations regarding the delimitation of local body wards and divisions, the inclusion of new individuals in the electoral roll, and organizing programmes to inform the public about developments in LDF-ruled local bodies.
KC(M) district president Lopez Mathew will chair the meeting, which will also be attended by party chairman Jose K Mani.
The party has noted the loss of traditional LDF votes in strongholds such as the Vaikom Assembly segment during the previous LS polls. Additionally, the KC (M) leadership is concerned about the loss of some CPI (M) votes in the Pala Assembly segment.
