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New Delhi, Jan., 16 : Keen to better the
party's performance in Uttar Pradesh, Congress has decided to give
special focus on reserved constituencies as well as the seats from
where it has fielded Dalit candidates in the state. Rahul Gandhi
on Saturday had a strategy meeting with party leaders to finetune
Congress strategy in Dalit dominated consituencies of the state.
PL Puniya, one time close aide of chief minister Mayawati and currently
a Congress MP from Barabanki in the state and Sirsa (Haryana) MP
Ashok Tanwar have been given the 89 constituencies, where Dalits
are in the fray.
Of these 85 constituencies are reserved for scheduled castes while
in four general constiuencies, Congress has put up dalit candidates.
The party has entrusted the responsibility to Puniya, a former
bureaucrat, who is now also the chairman of the National commission
for scheduled castes, for obvious reasons. Being once close to Mayawati,
Puniya, will be able to counter the BSP's campaign against Congress
in these constituencies.
Tanwar, a former NSUI and Youth Congress president is a young dalit
face from the Rahul Brigade.
The party is expecting a rise in its vote share among the scheduled
castes after Rahul's visit to Dalit homes, which also invited sharp
criticism from the opposition parties specially the BSP, which has
been dubbing it as a "gimmick".
Congress has decided to appoint "observers with election experience"
in all these 89 constiuencies. "Observers for these constituencies.
"Only one who is either an MLA, ex minister or ex MLA having
previous experience in poll process will be appointed observers
in these constituencies," said a party functionary on the condition
of anonymity.
The party has also decided to accord top priority to these 89 constituencies
in the 403-member state Assembly during the election campaign of
top party leaders.
The demands from these constituencies for star campaigners will
get a priority to other constituencies, the sources said.
These constituencies will also be given preference in distribution
of publicity materials.
In the meeting Gandhi is learnt to have told the party leaders
to focus on winning maximum possible seats from these constituencies.
A senior leader speaking on the condition of anonymity said victories
in the reserved constituencies will give a moral upper hand to the
party in the Mayawati-ruled state.
That the Congress is keen to rope in the Dalit voters of Uttar
Pradesh was clear from Gandhi's sustained visits in the dalit localities,
something which the party has not done in the Hindi state for a
long time.
There has also been an attempt by the party leaders to rope in
the non-Jatav Dalit votes in the state, though Congress has been
wary to pronounce openly as it did not want to antagonise Jatavs,
the core constituency of Mayawati.
The party has tried to rope in various sub-castes including Pasi
among the scheduled castes.
Gandhi is likely to address a number of meetings in the reserved
constituencies as electioneering picks for the state.
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