Mangaluru: The Dakshina Kannada District Congress Committee (DKDCC) will organise a major party workers’ convention in Mangaluru in the first week of November, newly appointed district president Padmaraj R. Poojary said after taking charge on Thursday.

Poojary formally assumed office at the Congress district office in Mangaluru, succeeding K. Harish Kumar. He said the convention would bring Congress workers together from the booth level to the district level and provide them with a common platform.

The new district president also outlined plans to strengthen the party’s grassroots organisation by visiting booths across all Assembly constituencies in Dakshina Kannada.

Padmaraj Poojary takes charge

Poojary assumed charge from outgoing DKDCC president K. Harish Kumar at the party office in Mangaluru.

He said his immediate focus would be on strengthening the organisation at the grassroots level. According to his plan, he would visit booths in every Assembly constituency over the following eight days and meet booth presidents and local workers.

Poojary said these visits would give him an opportunity to directly interact with party workers and understand organisational issues at the local level.

He also said he intended to work towards strengthening the Congress organisation across Dakshina Kannada.

Poojary was appointed DKDCC president earlier this month as part of the Congress’ organisational restructuring in Karnataka. He previously served as KPCC general secretary and contested the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Dakshina Kannada as the Congress candidate.

Workers’ convention planned for November

The proposed convention is expected to bring together Congress workers from different levels of the organisation.

Poojary said the event would be held in the first week of November in Mangaluru. The objective, as described by him, is to provide party workers from booth-level units through the district organisation with a common platform.

The convention is likely to form part of the new district president’s broader organisational programme following his assumption of office.

Poojary has said that his priority will be to establish direct communication with grassroots workers and strengthen the party’s booth-level structure.

Focus on booth-level organisation

Poojary said he would personally visit booths in each Assembly constituency of Dakshina Kannada during the initial days after taking charge.

During these visits, he plans to meet booth presidents and workers and acknowledge their work.

Grassroots organisation is particularly significant for political parties because booth-level units form the link between district leadership and local voters. The proposed visits are intended to improve coordination between these levels of the party organisation.

Poojary also said he wanted to restore what he described as the party’s earlier organisational strength in Dakshina Kannada. That is his stated objective rather than an independently established assessment of the party’s current position.

Party highlights recent government decisions

Poojary also referred to recent decisions taken by the Karnataka government.

He said the Congress would highlight the State government’s decision to accord additional administrative language status to Tulu in the coastal region.

The Karnataka Cabinet had approved Tulu as an additional official administrative language in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts, while Kannada continues as the State’s official language.

Poojary also referred to projects approved during the Karnataka Cabinet meeting held in Mangaluru on September 18.

He said the party would take information about these decisions and development projects to households across the district.

Outgoing president stresses unity

Outgoing DKDCC president K. Harish Kumar also spoke during the programme and referred to the need for greater unity within the party.

He said internal divisions had contributed to setbacks in the past and called for coordinated work by party leaders and workers.

Harish Kumar also spoke about the party’s organisational objective across the district’s eight Assembly constituencies.

His remarks were made in the context of strengthening the party organisation ahead of future elections.

Manjunath Bhandary calls for active participation

KPCC working president and Legislative Council member Manjunath Bhandary also addressed the gathering.

Bhandary said party positions should involve active responsibilities rather than being limited to titles.

According to his remarks, applications have been invited for secretary and coordinator positions within the KPCC. A committee headed by Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara is expected to conduct interviews before assigning responsibilities.

Bhandary also referred to possible elections to gram panchayats, taluk panchayats, zilla panchayats and the Mangaluru City Corporation by the end of the year. The timing of those elections remains subject to the relevant electoral and administrative processes.

Senior leaders attend programme

Several senior Congress leaders attended the programme marking Poojary’s assumption of office.

Former Union minister B. Janardhana Poojary and KPCC working president Manjunath Bhandary were among those present.

The change in district leadership comes as the Congress continues its organisational restructuring in Karnataka.

The All India Congress Committee had announced district presidents for 35 districts in the State under its organisational exercise. Poojary’s appointment is part of that wider restructuring.

Organisational restructuring underway

The Congress has described its district-level appointments as part of the ‘Sanghatan Srujana Abhiyan’, aimed at strengthening party structures.

According to the party’s account, observers reviewed district-level organisations and consulted office-bearers and other stakeholders before submitting reports to the central leadership.

The appointments were subsequently finalised as part of the organisational restructuring process.

For Dakshina Kannada, the new district president will coordinate with senior leaders, elected representatives, block-level units, booth-level workers and different party wings.

The planned November convention is expected to be one of the first major district-level programmes under Poojary’s leadership.

Congress prepares for grassroots activities

The proposed convention and booth visits indicate a focus on strengthening the party’s organisational network in Dakshina Kannada.

Poojary’s immediate programme involves direct interaction with booth-level workers, followed by a larger district-level gathering in November.

The Congress leadership in the district is also expected to coordinate around the development projects and policy decisions it wants to communicate to the public.

The effectiveness of these organisational plans will depend on their implementation at the booth, block and district levels.

Conclusion

The Dakshina Kannada Congress Committee plans to hold a major workers’ convention in Mangaluru in the first week of November, newly appointed district president Padmaraj R. Poojary said after taking charge.

Poojary has also announced plans to visit booths across all eight Assembly constituencies in the district and meet local workers. The leadership change is part of the Congress’ wider organisational restructuring in Karnataka, with the new district president focusing on grassroots coordination and party activities.