A decision on appointing a core-committee was expected at the AICC session scheduled to be held in Jaipur during middle of January, party sources said.
The committee that would lead the Congress in the polls, likely to be held in April-May, is expected to comprise KPCC President G Parameshwara, Opposition leader in the state assembly Siddaramaiah, his counterpart in the upper House R S Patil, former External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, senior leaders Shamanur Shivashankarappa, Dharam Singh, M Mallikarjun Kharge and others, sources said.
Krishna, who quit as External Affairs Minister ahead of a cabinet rejig in October, is likely to play a key role in the campaign along with other leaders to ensure that the party returned to power.
The Congress lost the assembly polls in 2004 under the leadership of Krishna, who led the party government during 1999-2004.
In the wake of 2004 polls throwing up a fractured verdict, the Congress formed a coalition government with JDS support and Dharam Singh led the first ever coalition.
In 2008 assembly elections, BJP came to power for the first time in Karnataka.
Congress is currently engaged in sewing up a winning strategy and also to counter the newly formed Karnataka Janata Party and BSR Congress floated by former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa and former minister B Sreeramulu respectively, sources said.
Congress also has to fight the JDS led by former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, which has sizable influence in old Mysore besides the dissidence-riven ruling BJP.
