New Delhi/Ahmedabad, March 5 The Congress has constituted several state-level committees in Gujarat to coordinate its preparations for the upcoming local body elections this year, assigning senior leaders to oversee strategy, campaign operations, and election management as the party begins organisational groundwork.
In a statement on Thursday, party general secretary K.C. Venugopal said the Congress president had approved the proposal for the constitution of the committees for the ensuing local body elections in Gujarat, with immediate effect.
According to the notification, the Strategy Committee will be chaired by Bharatsinh Solanki. Lalji Desai has been appointed vice chairman and Hemang Vasavada will serve as convenor.
The Campaign Committee will be led by Rajya Sabha MP Shaktisinh Gohil as chairman, with Paresh Dhanani as vice chairman and Lok Sabha MP Geniben Thakor as convenor.
The Election Management Committee, which will oversee organisational and electoral coordination, will be chaired by Siddharth Patel.
MLA Jignesh Mevani has been appointed vice chairman, while senior leader and former minister Bimal Shah will serve as convenor.
The Program Implementation Committee will be headed by Jagdish Thakor as chairman, with Indravijaysinh Gohil as vice chairman and Himmatsinh Patel as convenor.
For drafting the party's election agenda, the Manifesto Committee will be chaired by MLA Shailesh Parmar, with Rutvik Makwana serving as vice chairman and Dr Manish Doshi as convenor.
The party has also formed committees to handle communication and publicity with three members each.
Speaking to IANS, Shah said the formation of the committees had been authorised by the party's central leadership and was a significant step in preparing for the elections.
"The formation of these committees is very crucial and the high command has authorised them," he said.
He said the upcoming local body elections were important for the party's political strategy in the state.
"We are very serious about the upcoming elections in Gujarat because they will set the tone for the 2027 Assembly elections," Shah said.
According to him, the names of the members were proposed by the state leadership to ensure wider participation while covering different aspects of the election process.
"The proposal of names was given by the state leadership, ensuring equal participation and focusing on every single aspect of the elections," he said.
Speaking about the panel he is part of, Shah said the Election Management Committee would play a key role in organisational coordination.
"The Election Management Committee is one of the crucial ones because it focuses on booth-level planning," he said.
Shah added that the party leadership was paying close attention to developments in the state.
"We are fighting hard and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi is very focused on Gujarat," he said, adding that the committees are expected to meet atleast five to six times to review preparations and the election process.
Local body elections in Gujarat involve contests for municipal corporations, municipalities and panchayats across the state, and political parties have begun organisational preparations as the civic polls approach.
The outcome of these elections is often seen by parties as an indicator of grassroots support and organisational strength ahead of larger electoral contests in the state.
- IANS
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