The local political climate in Grenada is heating up with general elections likely to be held within a matter of weeks.
The ruling New National Party (NNP) government of Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell and the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) of attorney-at-law, Dickon Mitchell are putting systems in place for the election.
According to a source close to the ruling party, Prime Minister Mitchell has been holding regular high-level meetings with an elite group within the party to strategise for the poll.
“Right now on the ground, Keith Mitchell is hot as fire. Campaigning is going on in all the constituencies,” he said.
Over the weekend, the NNP candidates in most of the rural constituencies especially the four Members of Parliament for St. Andrew were seen on “the ground” engaged in meeting ordinary people and buying drinks for them.
The source pointed out that PM Mitchell has told the top brass of the party that the administration will be coming up with an ambitious plan to attract the critical youth vote to the NNP cause at the polls.
The Prime Minister who is also the Minister with responsibility for Youth affairs is concerned that his 44-year old rival Dickon Mitchell of Congress might be able to galvanise the youth vote to provide a challenge to his ambitions to win a 6th 5-year term in office.
The source said that the ruling party is also engaged in serious canvassing of the Voter’s list in all of the constituencies across the island.
He stressed that NNP has begun to do the political work on the ground and has been calling up its people on the telephone in all constituencies “to start to work the ground” in preparation for the holding of the general election.
The NDC has started its hunt for candidates to fill all seats for the election.
THE NEW TODAY understands that in keeping with the directive from the National Executive for persons to send in applications of interest to contest seats, the process is very advanced.
There are reports that about five persons including a top calypsonian and an attorney-at-law have sent in applications to contest the St Andrew South-west seat.
In the St George North-east constituency, a former member of THE GRENADA MOVEMENT (TGM) of former ambassador Dr. Patrick Antoine has reportedly sent in an application to be considered as a candidate.
Congress was also engaged in a show of force on the sister isle of Carriacou over the weekend as its youth brigade took to the streets with a sound system and making stops at “hot spots” to engage in campaigning and buying drinks for villagers.
Prime Minister Mitchell has been expressing confidence of another clean sweep of the polls and warned the Opposition Leader, Tobias Clement who defected from the NNP after the 2018 general election that his days in Parliament are numbered.
There are also reports coming from inside the NNP camp that the Prime Minister plans to concentrate a lot of resources in the St George North-east constituency to defeat Clement and also in St. David where the NDC leader is contesting against Foreign Affairs Minister, Oliver Joseph.
A party insider in the NNP warned that the strategy is to defeat Congress by “cutting off the head” of Dickon Mitchell.
Speculation is rife that Prime Minister Mitchell will call the poll sometime within the next 6 months.