Unsure about the extent of public participation and interest in District Development Council (DDC) polls, Congress Monday said it would go for a “low profile” poll campaign.
However, after the party would gauge the public mood, a high-intensity campaign could be launched in certain belts if need arises.
The DDC polls are going to be the first major political exercise in J&K following the abrogation of its special status and bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories in August last year.
A senior leader of the party said they had decided to keep their campaign for the polls “low profile”.
However, he said the party’s all efforts would be reach to the public so that it is able to “disseminate” information about “BJP’s anti-people policies”.
“Our local leaders will lead this campaign. They will start campaigning in their respective areas. Similarly, party’s senior leaders will also keep an eye in their respective constituencies and reach to the masses. These are local elections and the local leaders should have all the say,” a senior Congress leader said.
He said the party would ensure that the votes go against the policies of the BJP.
“The votes should be against the BJP and the people designated by them for these polls, their proxy candidates and their proxy parties. We will ask people to refrain themselves from voting those people to power,” the senior Congress leader said.
Another Congress leader based in south Kashmir said they would go to the people with the “agenda of development”.
However, he said, as of now, there was not a lot of interest among the masses about these polls.
Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee General Secretary, Surinder Singh Channi said they had formed a strategy for the polls in such a way that local leaders would try to consolidate vote for the party and senior leaders in their respective belts would try to garner public support for the party.
“It all depends on the requirement. If a candidate needs a campaigner, we can send him the campaigner,” he said.