Thiruvananthapuram: The Lok Sabha poll campaign of Congress by UPA chief Sonia Gandhi will on Saturday kick off in Kerala.
Gandhi will energise party functionaries as well as the rank and file for the crucial upcoming electoral battle at a special convention to be held in Kochi today and is also expected to convey the main themes over which the Congress is going to seek a fresh mandate.
Later, she will address the national meet of INTUC at Kollam in south Kerala.
Sources claimed that party leaders, various functionaries and special invitees would be gathering for the meet, which will take stock of the ground realities and come out with suggestions for preparing the party and the ruling coalition to take on the CPI(M)-led LDF.
The convention also assumes significance since it is the first major event after VM Sudheeran took over as the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president, replacing Ramesh Chennithala who joined the Oommen Chandy Cabinet as Home Minister last month.
Though Sudheeran was handpicked by the High Command, overlooking suggestions of Chandy and Chennithala, his elevation has been welcomed largely by the rank and file cutting across factional lines.
It is evident from the reaction that the rank and file looked at Sudheeran as capable of galvanising the party ahead of the elections as a leader with a clean track record and firm determination.
Notify that the Congress contested 17 of the 20 Lok Sabha seats in the state and won 13 in 2009. Its allies Indian Union Muslim League bagged two seats and the Kerala Congress (Mani) one, taking the UDF tally to 16.
The remaining four seats were bagged by the CPI(M) while its partner CPI drew a blank.
Bureau Report
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