Cong preparing for fiery poll campaign

Pitted in an uphill battle against the ruling Aam Admi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming Delhi elections, the Congress is preparing a high-decibel campaign by roping in at least a dozen prominent leaders from across India for the effort, leaders aware of the party strategy said.

- Saubhadra Chatterji

Two senior Congress leaders told HT that the party's campaign will gather momentum after January 20, the deadline for withdrawal of nominations. Key figures like Himachal Pradesh chief minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, Telangana chief minister Revanth Reddy, and former Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi are expected to spearhead the campaign.

"All hands will be used for the Congress' election campaign in Delhi. Our efforts are to regain our vote share and the lost ground," a senior leader involved in the planning said.

To be sure, reclaiming lost ground will be an uphill task for the party, which has failed to secure even a single lawmaker in Delhi in two successive Lok Sabha and assembly elections.

Congress' last stint in power ended a decade ago when Sheila Dikshit, who served as CM for 15 years, lost to the AAP in 2013.