Back to basics: Congress netas head to taluka level

Nagpur: After the Congress' mega session in Ahmedabad earlier this month, the party decided it's time to go back to the roots and strengthen its base. Congress leaders in Maharashtra too have started hitting the dirt tracks in villages, following a directive from state party president Harshwardhan Sapkal.
Congress MLC and observer for Chandrapur Abhijeet Wanjarri has covered 15 talukas there as part of the campaign. "Congress is a party of the common people and we are connecting with our roots. I visited all talukas in Chandrapur and interacted with grassroots-level functionaries to understand the ground reality and chalk out future strategy," said Wanjarri.
With local body polls likely to be held this year, the taluka-level strengthening is being considered a key strategy. Wanjarri said, "In my meetings I learnt about villagers' priorities and how the party can align itself with that goal."
After the 2024 assembly elections drubbing, the Congress has been trying to gain lost ground. Vidarbha has always been a direct fight between Congress and BJP, with regional parties having some presence in a few spots. More often than not, regional parties' success has been dependent on their national level ally.
Congress is expected to conduct a review of all such visits done in the state in a month or two, so that it can firm up the plan for local body polls.