Chennai, Jan 20 Veteran Congress leader and former Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister T.S. Singhdeo, who is leading the All India Congress Committee (AICC) screening committee for the upcoming Assembly elections, said on Tuesday that the party has received an overwhelming response from aspirants in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, signalling heightened internal mobilisation ahead of the polls.
Addressing reporters in Chennai, Singhdeo said the Congress had received nearly 5,285 applications from ticket aspirants in Tamil Nadu and around 800 applications in Puducherry.
He described the numbers as an indication of renewed organisational energy and growing interest in contesting on the Congress symbol.
Explaining the candidate selection process, Singhdeo said the Congress' screening committee would submit its recommendations to the Central Election Committee of the AICC, after taking into account the views of the respective Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) Presidents.
He added that the process would be consultative and layered, with inputs flowing from the grassroots to the party's national leadership.
"Once the Pradesh election committee is constituted, it will place its recommendations before the screening committee. The screening committee, in turn, will report to the Central Election Committee," he said.
Emphasising inclusiveness, Singhdeo added that the Congress had suggested extending the screening process down to the block and district levels to ensure broader participation.
The veteran Congress leader said the committee would meet not only applicants seeking tickets but also party workers and supporters who wished to back other aspirants.
"People coming together to support a particular candidate is a healthy sign for the party organisation," he noted, underlining that collective endorsement would be viewed positively.
On alliance-related speculation, Singhdeo declined to comment on whether the Congress would enter into an electoral understanding with the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).
However, he expressed confidence that the INDIA bloc would register a decisive victory in the forthcoming Assembly elections.
Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee has taken a key organisational step by announcing the long-pending appointment of District Congress Committee (DCC) Presidents for 71 districts as part of the party's 'Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan'.
Singhdeo said the AICC-appointed observers had conducted detailed district-level reviews, interacted with party functionaries and stakeholders, and submitted comprehensive reports.
These were followed by one-to-one discussions with party observers and senior Congress leaders before finalising the appointments.
He added that the organisational revamp would strengthen the Congress at the grassroots and prepare it for the electoral battle ahead.
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