Mysuru: Claiming that the Siddharamaiah Government in the State was performing well, AICC General Secretary and Congress party in-charge of Karnataka K.C. Venugopal has expressed the hope that the party would retain power in the 2018 Assembly polls.

Addressing Chamaraja Booth -level party workers at the Congress office here yesterday, Venugopal stressed on the need for intensifying the party’s ‘Mane-Manege Congress’ programme, in order to reach out to people.

Pointing out that this was the right time to further strengthen the party’s organisational base, he said now that the Gujarat polls are over, the nation’s focus has turned towards Karnataka, which is going to the polls in a couple of months.

Maintaining that Rahul Gandhi’s elevation as AICC President has led to new thoughts in the party, he reiterated the need for taking Government programmes and initiatives to the doorstep of the people.

KPCC President Dr. G. Parameshwara, in his address, said that there were 54,000 Booth-level Committees in the State and 6.5 lakh workers were issued identity cards  by the party.

Stating that Karnataka stands first in Booth-level Committees, he called upon the party workers to engage themselves in strengthening the party’s organisation from Grassroot level.

Former Minister Prof. B.K. Chandrashekar and other Congress leaders too addressed the party workers.

AICC Secretary in-charge of Mysuru division Congress P.C. Vishnunath, leader Sooraj Hegde, City Congress President R. Murthy, District President Dr. B.J. Vijayakumar, MLA Vasu, MUDA Chairman D. Dhruvakumar, MyLAC Chairman H.A. Venkatesh, ZAK Chairperson Mallige Veerash, former State Women’s Commission Chairperson Manjula Manasa, former ZP President Dr. Pushpa Amaranath and others were present.

Similarly, N.R. Block Congress Booth-level meeting was hold at Shabnam Choultry on Suryanarayan Temple Road in Rajivnagar and K.R. Block meeting was held at Chikkamma Niketana Samudaya Bhavan in Kuvempunagar, which were addressed by KPCC President Dr. G. Parameshwara, party in-charge of Karnataka K.C. Venugopal and other leaders.