Karnataka Congress plans surveys in Lok Sabha constituencies to assess poll prospects | Bangalore News
Karnataka Congress plans surveys in Lok Sabha constituencies to assess poll prospects | Bangalore News
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Preparations for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls are in full swing in Karnataka with the ruling Congress learnt to be carrying out multiple surveys to assess its prospects. This is apart from the survey announced by Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar last week to identify better candidates for the 28 Lok Sabha seats in the state.
According to Congress sources, six surveys will be carried out in the next two months to gauge voter sentiments so as to focus the party’s efforts in constituencies where its candidates have a chance to win. “A couple surveys are already being carried out in the state—one by the All India Congress Committee and the other by a team from Kerala,” a Congress source told The Indian Express.
Apart from this, surveys will also be carried out by the teams commissioned by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar. “The main objective is to ensure that we win at least 15 seats in the next polls,” the source said.
In the last Lok Sabha polls, the Congress, which had allied with the JD(S), had one of its weakest performances in recent years, winning just one of the 28 seats even as the BJP notched up 25. The JD(S) won one seat while Sumalatha, an actor-turned-independent candidate, won from Mandya.
“During the initial survey carried out a month ago, the Congress had prospects of winning six to seven seats. However, the ground situation has improved recently owing to the popularity of the guarantee schemes. Currently the party is very strong in 12-13 segments. In the coming months, we are looking to strengthen our prospects in 20 seats,” the source said.
After a meeting of Congress leaders chaired by AICC general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala, Shivakumar recently said the party high command was dissatisfied with reports submitted by in-charge ministers on probable Lok Sabha candidates. “A fresh survey will be carried out to identify stronger candidates for the constituencies in the state,” he said.
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