Chennai, Jan 20 (IANS) Senior Congress leader Girish Chodankar who is incharge of Tamil Nadu, said on Tuesday that the final decision on alliance strategy for the forthcoming Assembly elections would be taken by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) leadership, based on feedback collected from party leaders in the State.

Speaking to reporters after the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) Working Committee meeting held at Sathyamurthy Bhavan in Chennai, Chodankar underlined that the party was currently undergoing a phase of organisational reform and internal consolidation ahead of the crucial polls.

The meeting, convened by the TNCC, was attended by around 61 members, though 91 leaders had been invited.

Reports said that about 30 leaders were absent and senior Congress figures including P. Chidambaram, K.S. Alagiri, Jyothimani, and Manickam Tagore did not attend the meeting.

There were also reports of brief disruptions and heated exchanges during the closed-door discussions, reflecting internal differences within the party.

Addressing these issues, Chodankar said the Congress was in the process of implementing several organisational reforms this year. As part of this exercise, new district-level Congress leaders have been appointed across Tamil Nadu.

Their performance, he said, would be closely monitored over a six-month period.

“If any district president is found to be inactive or ineffective, the party will not hesitate to replace them,” he said, signalling a stricter accountability framework.

On election preparedness, Chodankar confirmed that the process for selecting Assembly election candidates has already begun.

Applications from aspiring candidates have been received, and interviews would be conducted shortly. “Based on these interactions and organisational inputs, candidates will be finalised at the appropriate time,” he added.

Responding to questions on whether the Congress would continue in alliance with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-led front, Chodankar said that opinions had been sought from party leaders across Tamil Nadu.

“Leaders have freely expressed their preferences regarding alliances. Taking these views into account, the AICC leadership will take the final call,” he said.

He expressed confidence that the eventual decision would align with the party’s broader political objectives and meet the expectations of Congress workers and supporters in the State as the Assembly elections approach.

–IANS

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