Congress prepares for 2019 elections, sets up three key panels

New Delhi: In a step towards the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the Congress party on Saturday announced the setting up of three crucial committees to look after election matters related to coordination, manifesto and publicity.

Party president Rahul Gandhi formed the key nine-member Core Group Committee comprising A K Antony, Ghulam Nabi Azad, P Chidambaram, Ashok Gehlot, Mallikarjun Kharge, Ahmed Patel, Jairam Ramesh, Randeep Surjewala and KC Venugopal.

A 19-member Manifesto Committee has been set up to come out with the party's manifesto for the general elections.

Gandhi also formed a committee comprising 19 top party leaders who will look after the party's publicity during the elections.

Announcing the setting up of the committees, party General Secretary, Organisation Ashok Gehlot said with the constitution of the committees, the party will go into election mode and start the work of putting up a manifesto and draw strategy for publicity and coordination.