As Lok Sabha Polls Near, Congress Invites Ideas For "People's Manifesto"

Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election the Congress has invited people from across the country to offer suggestions on what to include in its manifesto. This will be a "people's manifesto", ex-Union Minister P Chidambaram, who is leading the committee tasked with preparing the document, said.

The Congress will incorporate as many suggestions as possible, Mr Chidambaram said.

"Besides public consultations to be held by members of the Manifesto Committee in every state, the Congress has set up an e-mail account and a dedicated website for suggestions," he added.

The public can send suggestions for the Congress' manifesto to awaazbharatki@inc.in or visit www.awaazbharatki.in and upload it directly, the party said.

TS Singh Deo, the committee's Convenor, underlined the importance of this exercise. "...we must seek suggestions from stakeholders for whom the manifesto is meant, so it does not remain an academic exercise," Mr Deo, also the former Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister, said Wednesday.

Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal later posted on X.

The Congress is not a party, it is the voice of the people. We don't believe in top-down policymaking, we channel the aspirations of the common citizens and bring meaningful policies to transform their lives. Join us as we seek your inputs on what our 2024 Manifesto should be!"

"Submit your inputs to https://awaazbharatki.in and participate in this historic exercise!"

The 16-member panel includes Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, about whom there was furious speculation last month - that she might finally make her electoral debut in a mega contest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi.

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Sources told NDTV two names had been proposed for this seat so far - Ms Gandhi Vadra and Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) boss Nitish Kumar.

Former Union Ministers Anand Sharma, Jairam Ramesh and Shashi Tharoor are also in the committee, as are the party's deputy chief in the Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, and Gujarat leader Jignesh Mevani.

The Congress is heading the opposition INDIA bloc that has united in an effort to stop Mr Modi and the ruling BJP from claiming a third successive term. The bloc, which includes over two dozen national and regional political parties, is under pressure, though, with talk of rifts over seat-sharing.

Deals to divide seats amongst INDIA members are believed to be nearing completion in some states, including the politically key state of Uttar Pradesh, but there are still challenges in some others, such as Bengal, where the Trinamool Congress is in power, and Punjab and Delhi, where the AAP rules.

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On the latter front, though, there was good news this week. The AAP and the Congress have agreed to contest Thursday's Chandigarh mayoral election together, indicating a possible way forward as the two parties hammer out a deal for Punjab's 13 and Delhi's seven Lok Sabha seats.