Kharge chairs meet with Bihar, J&K, Punjab, Ladakh leaders to discuss poll preparedness

New Delhi, Dec 26 (IANS) Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday held meetings with party leaders of Bihar, Punjab, Ladakh, and Jammu and Kashmir to discuss the poll preparedness ahead of the crucial 2024 general elections.

Meanwhile, the leaders from Bihar will be holding the meeting with the five member National Alliance Committee to discuss the seat sharing issues.

The back-to-back meeting at the party headquarters were chaired by Kharge, where former party chief Rahul Gandhi, General Secretary, Organisation, K.C. Venugopal and several other top leaders including the state leaders met state wise separately.

Following the meeting with the Bihar Congress leaders, Kharge in a post on X said: “Discussion was held with state leaders of Bihar Congress regarding preparations related to Lok Sabha election.The Grand Alliance government in Bihar is working strongly as per the expectations of the people of Bihar. We are committed to social justice. For the progress, prosperity and peace of Bihar, every Congress worker is ready to reach out to the people and live up to the aspirations of the people of Bihar.”

State unit chief Akhilesh Prasad Singh said: “We discussed the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and it was decided that the Congress will contest the elections with the Grand Alliance which includes the RJD, JD-U and the Left parties.”

He said that an action plan has been made, and the party will go forward accordingly.

“On seat sharing, we will discuss the issue with the National Alliance Committee. Rahul Gandhi and Kharge listened to the leaders of Bihar and he suggested several things and we will go further on the same.”

Singh, asked about the 2019 seat sharing formula, said that the seat sharing will be done accordingly as we have one more party in the alliance as compared to 2019.

Meanwhile, J&K unit chief Vikar Rasool Wani said: “Kharge and Rahul Gandhi and Venugopal held threadbare discussions. It was also discussed how to go forward with the INDIA bloc parties.”

State incharge Bharatsinh Solanki said, “We discussed the issue of how to strengthen the Congress in J&K. And as the Supreme Court has said that the elections should be conducted by September 30, 2024 all the leaders discussed and also gave their suggestion.”

He said that they feel that the Congress, along with the INDIA bloc parties, will win all the five Lok Sabha seats in Jammu and Kashmir and one in Ladakh.

He also said that Rahul Gandhi during the meeting said that J&K is an important part of India and the Congress is working to bring people together while the BJP is trying to divide. “Seat sharing was not discussed and we will continue to contest in alliance with the partners,” Solanki said.

After the meeting with the leaders of &K and Ladakh Kharge said: “We had a detailed discussion with the Congress party leaders from Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, regarding the Lok Sabha elections.”

“We hope to see full statehood restored to Jammu and Kashmir soon. Modi Govt has left no stone unturned in betraying its people. Prime Minister Modi’s clean chit to China, post Galwan has endangered our National Security and strategic interests. We are also concerned about the rise in terror attacks and targeted killings of innocent people.

“People of Ladakh are unitedly demanding safeguards for the tribal people of the region under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. But the Modi Govt has time and again, deceived them. People of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh want their life return to normalcy and that’s the message they gave to Rahul Gandhi during the Bharat Jodo Yatra,” Kharge said in a tweet.

–IANS

aks/vd