New Delhi, June 02: In the run up to assembly polls in five states later this year, Congress leaders today discussed electoral strategy for Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh following the party's decision to go in for pre-poll tie-ups, both at national and state level, to take on communal forces. Stating that the Srinagar conclave of the party chief ministers had given a clear cut message of winning elections in all the five states, party spokesman Anand Sharma said AICC General Secretary in charge of the two states had separate meetings with the Chief Ministers and PCC presidents of the states to finalise the strategies. Beside Soni, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, PCC Chief Girija Vyas, AICC secretary Chandan Bagchi, MLC and six other poll observers for Rajasthan, Santosh Chaudhary, S S Surajewala, Sagar Raikar, Birendra Kataria, Harikesh Bahadur and Ajay Yadav attended the Rajasthan meeting.


Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh, PCC Chief Radhakrishna Malviya and central poll observers Prithviraj Chavan, Sriprakash Jaiswal, Pawan Kumar Bansal, Mrs Usha Ben Thakkar and Shamsher Singh Dullo attended the strategic meeting on Madhya Pradesh, he said.
Gandhi had asked party's chief ministers, particularly those facing assembly polls later this year, to provide inputs and views on the issue. She had said a decision on pre-poll alliances would be based on inputs and views provided by the respective Chief Ministers and Pradesh Congress Committee presidents.

Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh along with Chhatisgarh, Delhi and Mizoram are scheduled to go to polls later this year. Except Mizoram, the other four states are Congress ruled. Bureau Report