Congress commissions ad agency for forthcoming polls

New Delhi, Oct 3 (UNI) The Congress has selected a private advertisement agency to launch its media and publicity blitzkrieg to improve its prospects in the forthcoming assembly and Lok Sabha elections.

Senior party leaders, including AICC General Secretaries Rahul Gandhi and Digvijay Singh, today held a discussion with the officials of the agency - Crayons.

Mr Digvijay Singh told mediapersons that the Party would soon finalise its strategy for the forthcoming Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Jammu and Kashmir and Delhi and the Lok Sabha elections.

He said the theme of the campaign and the issues to be highlighted before the electorate would be discussed with Party President Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh before being communicated to the agency for preparing its plan.

On the basis of the input provided by the party, the agency would prepare the publicity material for the print and electronic media.

Asked about the budget set for the agency, Mr Singh said it was not yet finalised, in a clear indication that the party would not like to make public the exact figure.

Asked if the Indo-US Nuclear deal would be the main focus, he said it would be one of the many issues like loan waiver and the government's achievements.

He denied the suggestion that the Congress would be on the defensive on the issue of terrorism, and said the Party never compromised on the issue of terror and was never soft on terror.

Mr Singh said the 'aam aadmi' would continue to be its slogan in the forthcoming elections also.

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