Thursday, October 6 2005 14:18 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: In the wake of reverses in the recent civic elections, All India Congress Committee (AICC) President Sonia Gandhi today (Oct 6, 2005) asked Kerala's Congress leadership to strengthen the party's organisational set up to gear up for the Assembly polls, scheduled to be held early next year.

Sonia held detailed discussions with Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and KPCC President Ramesh Chennithala in New Delhi to take stock of the party's situation in the state, the first such exercise after the party's crushing defeat late last month.

The leaders reviewed party's performance in the local body elections, the impact made by breakaway leader K Karunakaran's Democratic Indira Congress (K) and the Congress-led UDF Government's functioning.

Emerging from the meeting, Chennithala told reporters that organisational matters like steps needed to strengthen the party and the functioning of the government came up for discussion during the 30-minute meeting.

He said the party Central leadership was of the view that the newly formed DIC's good showing at the hustings was largely because of Communist Party of India (CPI) Marxist (M) support and not because of its strength.

"Congress in Kerala is on a revival path and the party's performance in the civic elections was better when compared to the last Parliamentary elections," he claimed. He also blamed irregularities in the voters' list for the poor turnout.

The CPI (M)-headed coalition, which tied up with the Democratic Indira Congress (K), had captured over 70 per cent of three-tier panchayats and a vast majority of urban bodies, denting the claims of Chandy and Chennithala that Congress was on a revival path in the state.