Telangana Congress steps up preparations for Lok Sabha polls

The Congress would review from tomorrow its performance in the December seven Assembly elections in Telangana and discuss preparations for this year's Lok Sabha polls in the State. The TRS had returned to power, winning 88 seats in the 119-member Assembly, pushing the Congress to a distant second position with 19 seats. The Congress had forged "Prajakutami" (People's Front) along with the Telugu Desam Party, the Telangana Jana Samiti and the Communist Party of India but the grouping came a cropper at the hustings.

The TDP, headed by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, won a mere two seats, while the TJS and the CPI drew a blank. The AICC in-charge of Congress affairs in Telangana, R C Khuntia and Telangana Pradesh Congress President N Uttam Kumar Reddy said the party's central leadership has given instructions to strengthen the organisation in Telangana. "To prepare for Parliamentary elections, several directions have been given," Reddy told PTI Thursday.

"Only old (ten) districts have DCC (District Congress Committee). Decision has been taken to put DCC presidents in new (23) districts (in Telangana)," he said. Khuntia said all the districts would have party presidents by January ten. A meeting would be held here from tomorrow to January eight to review the party's peformance, constituency-wise, in the assembly elections and also take stock of the oufit's preparations for Lok Sabha polls, Khuntia said.

(With inputs from agencies.)