Congress targets 100 seats in Kerala assembly election: AICC leader K C Venugopal

Wayanad (Kerala), Jan 4 (PTI) AICC general secretary K C Venugopal on Sunday said the Congress has set a target of winning 100 seats in the upcoming Assembly election.

He was speaking at the inaugural session of Lakshya 2026, a two-day leadership camp organised as part of preparations for the Assembly polls, at Sultan Bathery here.

Kerala has 140 assembly seats for which elections are to be held this year.

Venugopal said that to achieve the target, candidate selection will be completed early in accordance with party guidelines, with winnability being the primary criterion.

“AICC has already announced the Kerala screening committee and its functioning would be expedited. A schedule will be prepared in consultation with Congress leaders in Kerala. Youth will be given opportunities this time as well, and the candidate list will be a blend of young leaders and women,” he said.

He said KPCC and DCC office-bearers and leaders must function with full accountability to the party.

“We should not make self-announcements about candidature. Let us wait for the party’s declared decision,” Venugopal said.

He said leaders have the freedom to hold discussions with the party leadership.

“You can raise demands before the leadership and use all such opportunities, but candidature-related discussions should be restricted in public forums,” he said.

He alleged that the CPI(M) and the BJP treated the Congress and the UDF as their common enemy.

However, the results of the recent local body elections showed that Congress can effectively take on both parties.

“The victory has given confidence to Congress workers that even if the CPI(M) and BJP combine, we can face them,” he said.

He said the local body election victory should make Congress leaders more humble.

“People are the masters of democracy. We should humbly strengthen our political activities before the public over the next four months,” he added.

Venugopal said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s confidence about coming to power for a third consecutive term had suffered a setback after the local body election results.

“But Pinarayi will not sit back. There are backstage discussions going on,” he said.

According to him, the CPI(M) and the BJP have a secret alliance, which has become evident in recent months.

He further alleged that the haste shown by the Kerala government in matters related to certain central projects pointed to an unholy pact between the two parties.

“This alliance is not liked by workers of either party. It exists to protect the interests of certain leaders in both camps and will continue into the Assembly election,” he said.

Venugopal said the Narendra Modi government has destroyed the essence of the employment guarantee scheme through amendments to the law, and that the Congress is holding nationwide protests against it.

By removing Mahatma Gandhi’s name, the government has completely undermined the concept of village self-rule symbolised by Gandhi, he said.

KPCC president Sunny Joseph said the UDF achieved a resounding victory in the local body elections by overcoming challenges such as unscientific ward delimitation and unfair voter lists.

“With full support from the AICC and proper preparation, the UDF secured the victory,” he said.

He alleged that the LDF government brought amendments to the Panchayat Raj Act with political motives, passed the bill without discussion in the Assembly, and carried out distorted ward delimitation.

Lakshya 2026 is being organised to discuss strategies for the upcoming Assembly polls and is being attended by prominent Congress leaders, including KPCC leaders, party MLAs, MPs and leaders of affiliated organisations.

Venugopal said the Congress has decided to announce its candidates well ahead of the election notification and move forward with campaign activities.

Recently, the Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly had said that 50 per cent of the party’s candidates would be women and young leaders. PTI TBA TBA ROH