Upbeat over Rahul's visit, Cong to name candidates post Oct 19

Ranchi: After Congress faced a defeat in Haryana, the Jharkhand unit of the party is hopeful that Rahul Gandhi’s scheduled visit to Ranchi on Saturday would boost party workers and its prospects in the state ahead of the assembly elections.

Voting across 81 seats in Jharkhand will take place in two phases — November 13 and 20. Nomination window to 43 seats will open on Friday.

While both the ruling and the opposition camps are in a wait-and-watch mode to declare seat-sharing deal and candidates’ list, the grand old party, which is part of the ruling alliance govt, is expected to announce their candidates after October 19, senior party leaders have said.

Jharkhand affair’s in-charge Ghulam Ahmad Mir, who reached Ranchi on Thursday to take stock of preparations for Rahul’s meet, said, “It will be a crucial meeting. As far as seat sharing talks with our alliance partners are concerned, it’s nearly finalised with some minor glitches. Candidates list will be declared after October 19.”

Mir is scheduled to attend the INDIA bloc meeting convened by chief minister Hemant Soren on Friday over seat-sharing finalities.

Congress’s chief spokesperson Lal Kishorenath Shahdeo said Rahul Gandhi’s visit would set the tone for members to work with greater enthusiasm to ensure victory of INDIA bloc to return to the chief minister’s office.

Rahul will interact with different strata of the society and civil rights groups. “Around 700-800 will be in attendance who have been invited across different wings of the society. He (Rahul) will hold conversations on issues, offer solutions, read out Congress and INDIA bloc’s plan of action,” Shahdeo said.

On the impact of visit on party workers, he added, “It is re-energises workers and the party at large when top leader come to speak to them.”

Congress manifesto committee met on Thursday to fine-tune its manifesto. “Manifesto will be named as ‘Nyay Patra’, which will talk of safeguarding Constitution, uplifting lives of people, all round development, among others unlike BJP’s divisive stunts,” remarked a member of the manifesto committee.

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