Even as Rahul Gandhi is keen to bring new, young faces in the organisation, the present set-up in various Congress committees across the country is all set for an extension — at least till the middle of 2010. The party has decided to hold its organisational elections in 2010 and not in 2009, as scheduled earlier.
Citing packed electoral engagements during 2009, including the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress had sought an extension from the Election Commission (EC) a few months ago for its organisational polls. According to the EC rules, all registered parties need to hold their internal elections regularly and notify the results with the poll authority.
“The EC has granted us time to hold our organisational election next year and skip this year’s schedule,” Ranoj Basu, permanent secretary of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) told Business Standard today.
The last organisational election was held in 2005 when Sonia Gandhi was elected president uncontested. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was the first Congressman to propose her name as the president. In the previous election, however, Gandhi faced contest from Jitendra Prasada for the post.
According to the Congress constitution, the president enjoys a three-year term starting from his/her appointment during the AICC plenary session.
During the interim period of her election and her formal appointment at the plenary, she acts as the president-elect. While Gandhi’s election took place in 2005, she renewed her captaincy from the 2006 plenary in Hyderabad.
While Gandhi’s reappointment as the Congress president is just a formality as there is no one to challenge her in the organisation, the real beneficiaries will be the state-level office-bearers who will enjoy a few more months of power during this interim period.
Also Read
These committees continue to function as long as the AICC election is not taking place. According to Congress sources, in most of the states, there will be a reshuffle in the state units and new faces may be brought in.
Currently, the membership drive is also going on in the Congress camp. According to Basu, “members enrolled till December 31, 2009, will be eligible to vote in the next year’s organisational elections.”
After the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, the party now faces Assembly polls in Haryana and Maharashtra, in October. Elections are also due in Arunachal Pradesh and some other states.