Congress eyes rural votes for next polls

Chandigarh, July 19 (UNI) The ruling Congress will launch its mass contact programme from July 26 with a focus on wooing rural votes in the run-up to the assembly elections due in February 2007.

Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Shamsher Singh Dullo today held a marathon meeting with the all the 18 District Congress Committee (DCC) representatives and asked them to prepare for the mass contact programme from July 26 to August 11 in all the 117 constituencies.

All the village level committees numbering over 12,000 would be geared up by the senior leaders including the ministers and other MLAs in their respective districts during the mass contact programme, Mr Dullo told reporters after the meeting.

While Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh was not present in the meeting, it was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Ms Rajinder Kaur and all other ministers except Rakesh Pandey, Mohinder Singh Kaypee and Surinder Singla who were out of station.

''We will come to know the extent of implementation of various schemes at the grass root level during this mass contact programme,'' he said.

Claiming that the Congress would retain power in Punjab with a thumping majority, Mr Dullo said the winnability would be the criterion for giving tickets for the assembly polls.

He said that he, along with Chief Minister and the deputy chief minister, would also make surprise visits across the state to personally know the position of the party at the grassroots.

UNI PS JN SK RN1755