Preparing for 2014 General assembly elections Background: Although there is ample of time for the 16th general

assembly elections to be held in 2014, the time is ripe to start preparations for the elections. The recent elections in five states have proved beyond doubt the fate of congress in the forth coming general assembly elections. A general study into the current affairs of both the major parties viz; the BJP and the congress reveals that the BJP is sailing without proper leadership and is in disarray as to who will be their prime-ministerial candidate. While the congresss steering authority may want to field Rahul Gandhi as prime ministerial candiadate in lieu of Mr. manmohan sigh and Pranab Mukerjee. But the fact is that the high voltage campaign of rahul Gandhi could not even ensure the 1/4th of seats in UP. Under these circumstances, the communist party has the advantage of steering the country. It may not be possible for the party to form a full fledged government on its own but can work towards improving the present strength of the representation in the parliament. Methodology: In order to improve the current representation of __ members to at least 100 seats across the nation, a scientific and rational methodology needs to be adopted and a few are discussed in the following pages: 1. Steering committee: A steering committee to be formed at the central politburo to decide on the agenda for the forthcoming election. The main activities of the steering committee could be:

a. Identification of issues for the forthcoming election campaign b. Preparation of party manifesto and penetration of the manifesto to all the
members of the party. c. Forming of steering committee at the state level. d. Identification of right candidates for the fielding e. Estimation of election expenses and revenue generation to meet the expenditure 2. Manifesto to reach people well in advance: The manifesto should reach the people well in advance and people should be clear of their requirements. The New age can play a very important role in the dissemination of information. The Paper is to be made available at the local newspaper vendors and effort to be made to reach every household through campaign. Let us not forget the role played by the newspaper during the pre-independence era. There has to be distribution of the complimentary copies of the paper. The manifesto can be part of the articles published in the paper. 3. Face-lift of New age Till date New age circulation has been limited to subscribers only. As mentioned earlier, the paper to made available at the local news vendor. Outlets to be started near the mall, where there is assemblage of educated mass.

Also the paper needs a face lift from the current reporter of CPI activities across the nation to messiah of CPI principles, agenda for the elections, introduction of its members to people, their activities, their strengths and how they can make difference if elected to the parliament. Also news scan consisting of happenings in the center and state and how people are suffering due to gross misuse of power and deep rooted corruption. CPIs representation in the parliament and what are the issues tackled by them in the current lokasabha sessions 4. Campaign to attract young people to work for the nation. The agenda should also include attracting young people to the party and strengthening the partys future sustenance. This would also enable identifying young leaders who can lead the party. A proper planning of the activities well in advance can definitely make the difference for the party in the elections. Today people are looking for right candidate who can represent them in the parliament and who can do justice for the selection. A time has come for this great nation to look for alternative parties who can guarantee corruption free and hassle free governance and do some good work for the benefit of the common man and the poor. It for the party to harness the strength of the central politburo and guide the rest of the team down the line to make a difference. Regards Raghunandan H V