Pioneer-DILLI BILLI-14th.August.11"IT IS ALL ABOUT CLEAN IMAGE"

"IT IS ALL ABOUT CLEAN IMAGE"

Corruption is a major issue for the youth today. Any leader who is not true to the voter will be rejected

With the Assembly elections approaching in some States — Punjab and Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh — the political parties are gearing up for it. The election in Uttar Pradesh, to be held next year, is the main focus for the Congress. The election has become a prestige issue for the party as Rahul Gandhi has been working and campaigning hard in the State. Numerous surveys have been done by his team. Party workers and office bearers have been called in from different States and given instructions.

But it is not just the Congress that is busy. The Chief Minister of UP, Mayawati, has already got her candidates in place. In fact, she is the only one who is totally prepared. The Samajwadi Party and and other small parties have their agenda in place — they will side with the party that hands them a better deal. The BJP, too, is trying to get its act in order.

In Himachal Pradesh, the general secretary in-charge has risen above factional fighting and has set up a team of experienced and capable members who will deliver.

In Punjab, the president of the State Congress party, Amarinder Singh has started campaigning in the State. Amarinder Singh and Virbhadra Singh are sure to be main players in their respective States.

Hopefully their experience and knowledge will be used effectively by the Congress High Command.

Elections in any State can only be won if it is headed by a popular leader. Therefore, it is very important that there is a strong team. Personal relationships have no role to play under such situations. It is a well-known fact that inefficiency and non-deliverance will be punished by the public. With 65 per cent voters as youth, they expect the politicians to deliver what has been promised. For them corruption is a big issue and a candidate who doesn’t have a clean image will be rejected outright.

Coming back to the Congress and the attention and the amount of work the party is doing in Uttar Pradesh, is justified. The State has hardly seen any infrastructural development. It is time that the Congress puts its act together and win. It is time that the party starts paying attention to grassroot workers instead of people who are sitting in Delhi who visit the State once in a while. With a good team and co-ordination the task for the party will become easier. If the general secretary in-charge of Himachal Pradesh can do it, the party can apply the same formula in UP.

However, one thing has to be kept in mind, whether it is the Congress or the BJP, winning an election today means that all the people in the party should keep their egos at home and personal likes and dislikes away while choosing the candidates and constituting various committees. They need to understand that they need to be true to their voters. Winning the people’s approval should be the focus.