New Delhi: The Congress on Monday said the grand old party is fully prepared for early Lok Sabha polls and argued if the Centre advances the elections that are due in April-May 2024, then it depicts BJP's panic.
“We are ready for anything. Let them do whatever they want. If early polls take place, it shows the BJP is in panic over strengthening of the INDIA alliance. We will chalk out a joint strategy with our allies over the issue. But we believe that the ‘one nation, one poll’ idea is an attack on the federal structure of the country,” AICC in charge of organisation KC Venugopal told ETV Bharat.
According to Avinash Pande, AICC in-charge of Jharkhand, where the Congress, JMM and RJD are partners in the coalition government headed by chief minister Hemant Soren, the grand old party had anticipated such a move from the BJP and had started preparing for it. “We are fully prepared for anything like early Lok Sabha polls. In fact, we had anticipated such a move from the government months before and had started preparing for it," Pande said.
“Over the past few weeks, our national president Mallikarjun Kharge and former president Rahul Gandhi have reviewed Lok Sabha poll preparations in around 22 states. During these reviews, every issue related to national elections like organisational gaps, logistics, coordination, agitational programs and key campaign issues were discussed in details and addressed. Also, the state units rolled out the plans to mobilise people,” he said.
The AICC functionary further said that the Congress not only discussed its internal preparations during the strategy sessions chaired by Kharge and Rahul but also discussed coordination with the allies.
“In Jharkhand, we have geared up our local units upto the block and panchayat levels. Our workers are on the ground and are taking the message of welfare schemes of the state government to the voters. In the Dumri assembly bypoll scheduled on September 5, our organisation is working along with the allies to defeat the BJP,” said Pande.
He further said that mass contact foot marches will be conducted by the party in over 700 districts across the country on September 7, which is the first anniversary of Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra to mobilise voters.
According to party insiders, the Congress will discuss the various options available against the ‘one, nation, one poll’ idea including approaching the Election Commission of India. Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has already declined to be a member of the said panel saying there was no logic behind excluding Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge from the high-level committee.
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The party insiders further pointed out that the constitution of the panel and its terms of reference are an indicator that the Centre has already pre-decided its outcome.
