Moily to head Congress manifesto panel for Karnataka polls

New Delhi: The Congress on Monday appointed former Union minister M Veerappa Moily as the chairman of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Manifesto Committee and B L Shankar as its vice chairman.

The committee, cleared by party vice-president Rahul Gandhi, has 33 other leaders from the state as its members, including former Union minister and ex-governor Margaret Alva. The party is bracing for Assembly elections in Karnataka, which goes to polls in mid-2018.

Rahul also cleared a jumbo list of the Executive Committee of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee with 94 members. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, former chief ministers from the party, AICC office-bearers, MPs and ministers in the state, besides a number of other leaders have been made ex-officio members of the panel.

“Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has approved the constitution of the executive committee of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Manifesto Committee for the forthcoming Assembly election and 15 district Congress committees presidents,” a statement from AICC general-secretary Janardan Dwivedi said.