New Delhi (Agency): Karnataka’s Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah, in preparation for the significant Lok Sabha elections coming up in less than a year, has planned a series of marathon meetings. Over the next three days, he and his deputy, D K Shivakumar, will engage with ministers and ruling Congress members, aiming to address concerns and fortify the party’s position, insiders revealed.
These discussions, involving district in-charge ministers, other district representatives, and both MLAs and MLCs, will be conducted at the Chief Minister’s residence ‘Krishna’. They’re scheduled from 11 am to 7 pm, taking a two-hour intermission between 2 pm and 4 pm, as party officials detailed.
For the first day, Monday, the focus will be on six districts. Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, the state’s Congress president, have arranged to meet members from Tumakuru, Yadgir, Chitradurga, Bagalkote, Ballari, and Dharwad. This was confirmed by an events program issued by the Chief Minister’s office. Each district’s representatives will receive an hour’s attention, and “in the next three days, meetings with all the Congress legislators across 31 districts of the state will be covered,” a party official mentioned.
The primary objective? To cement the Congress’s foundation in each district. This includes tasks like identifying potential sites for additional party offices and drafting strategies for the looming Lok Sabha elections. Additionally, the meetings will provide a platform for MLAs to voice their concerns, which will be addressed by the senior leaders. The official stated, “The chief minister and the deputy chief minister will also hear and address the grievances and complaints of the MLAs.”
It’s worth noting that the Congress party aims high for the upcoming elections – targeting at least 20 Lok Sabha seats in 2024. Their performance in 2019 was less than stellar, securing just one seat while the BJP clinched 25 out of 28.
These meetings also arise amid rumors. A letter allegedly penned by 11 MLAs criticized Siddaramaiah, suggesting 20 ministers were not accessible and avoided discussing developmental work in their constituencies. They were described as “unapproachable.” However, one of the alleged writers, Kalaburagi Congress MLA B R Patil, promptly refuted these claims, declaring the letter a fabrication.