Visakhapatnam: In a hope to revive its dwindling fortunes, the Congress is looking at the upcoming polls to 6 municipal corporations and 6 municipalities in the state, especially the GVMC to strengthen its base in the state.

Congress is facing its worst ever crisis in the state with not even a single MLA representing in the state Assembly after the party faced the public wrath for the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in 2014 polls.

State party affairs in-charge and All India general secretary, Digvijay Singh is already started touring the state. In the coming days, visits of party vice-president and president, Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi respectively, are also being planned.

To launch a nationwide stir against dilution of forest rights, Rahul Gandhi chose Andhra Pradesh. He will launch the stir on August 6 at Chintapalli in Vizag Agency and also interact with the tribals of 45 villages that are going to be affected by the proposed bauxite mining.

A state-level workshop for the party workers in which Congress president Sonia Gandhi is expected to participate is also being planned.

Notably, it is decided that candidates for the GVMC polls and for other municipalities will be selected by the state leadership and there will be no ‘Delhi’ interference. Party also decided to field new and young faces in these polls.

Members of the Youth Congress and NSUI, the student wing of Congress, will be given priority to contest in these local bodies polls. The party has also derived a strategy to take it to the public that the Congress was the last party to give assent to state bifurcation after only all the political parties have agreed to it.

“Members of Youth Congress and NSUI will get priority in selecting candidates for municipal polls. We have now two challenges ahead, one is the municipal corporation polls and the second is the upcoming election for the north Andhra graduates constituency MLC. The voter enrolment for the graduates constituency polls will begin from October and will continue for 45 days.

All the frontal organisations and other wings of the party will have to enroll a maximum number of graduates. The party has decided to contest all the municipal polls. Facing hard times is not new to the Congress. After 1978, the Congress party resurged and it was an opportunity to build the party again from grassroots,” said Mr Digvijay Singh.

The senior Congress leader addressed party workers at a meeting and asked them to work for the victory in these municipal polls. For GVMC polls, former ministers and MPs will be made in-charges and responsible of wards.