LS polls: Antony submits report to Sonia

New Delhi, Jun 22: A Congress panel, headed by Defence Minister A K Antony, has suggested early declaration of party candidates for the Lok Sabha as well as state assembly elections to give them a good chance of winning. The seven-member panel, set up for the re-energising the party, submitted its report to party president Sonia Gandhi yesterday.

According to sources, the committee said the party should declare the candidates for the Assembly polls 45 days before the Election Commission's notification. In the case of Lok Sabha polls, the candidates should be declared three months in advance before the notification. This was a major recommendation of the committee, set up by Sonia, to draw up a strategy to reverse the pattern of defeats in the wake of the Karnataka Assembly polls.

It also recommended micro-management of polls, including setting up of booth committees. Another recommendation was pertaining to '' one man one post'' principle and said those in the government should not be given party work.

The committee members included AICC general secretaries Digvijay Singh and Mukul Wasnik, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi.

UNI