No election for AICC delegates who vote to elect CWC; incoming Congress chief to nominate these delegates

With the incoming Congress chief authorised to nominate AICC delegates who will then vote for the CWC elected component, the element of fairness could be compromised, G 23 sources say

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Tribune News Service

Aditi Tandon

New Delhi, September 15

Though all is set for the upcoming election to the post of Congress president, the party has decided to authorise the incoming chief to nominate all state unit presidents and AICC delegates who should ideally have been elected too.

But due to paucity of time and the requirement of the Congress constitution, the party’s central election authority headed by Madhusudan Mistry has asked the pradesh election committee delegates, who are voters in the party president’s poll, to pass resolutions in their respective states authorising the incoming Congress president to nominate state party chiefs and AICC delegates.

“The pradesh returning officers will preside over the meetings of PCC delegates in the respective states. We have instructed all PCC delegates to pass resolutions authorising the incoming Congress chief to nominate PCC presidents and AICC delegates,” Mistry told The Tribune.

AICC delegates will then vote to elect 12 Congress Working Committee members should the need for election to the highest decision-making body of the Congress arise.

The CWC election is held a day after the AICC session which is conducted to ratify the election of the party president after the poll process is over.

The issue might cause heartburn among G23 members who have been seeking genuine elections to the CWC which is considered to be full of Gandhi family loyalists.

With the incoming Congress chief authorised to nominate AICC delegates who will then vote for the CWC elected component, the element of fairness could be compromised, G 23 sources said.

The CWC consists of 25 leaders, of which two are permanent—Congress chief and leader of opposition. The AICC constitution provides for the Congress president to nominate 11 while 12 are elected.

Mistry said the PCC delegates in their state meetings could pass a resolution backing any particular leader as Congress chief but that resolution would be informal in nature and would not have a bearing on the process of election for the party chief’s post.

“The returning officers will not accept the informal resolution although state delegates are free to pass such a resolution. The Congress chief’s election would he held as scheduled. The returning officers will only accept PCC delegate resolutions authorising incoming party chief to nominate state chiefs and AICC delegates,” Mistry explained saying everything was in order for a free and fair election.

This year, all 9,000-plus PCC delegates who comprise the electoral college for the Congress president election have been issued identity cards for transparency.

Mistry said anyone desirous of filing a nomination for the Congress chief’s post can get any 10 PCC delegates to back their form.

“Signatures of PCC delegates with identity cards will be considered valid,” Mistry said.

The latest move whereby the Congress has allowed the incoming chief to nominate AICC delegates paves the way for the constitution of a CWC where leaders loyal to the incoming party president will dominate.

The incoming president would be a Gandhi family loyalist.

Sources said PCC delegates would most likely pass resolutions backing Rahul Gandhi as a consensus face for Congress president but Rahul might take a moral high ground declining the post.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot remains a favourite to run for Congress president’s election once Rahul opts out of the race formally.

The Congress has already moved to ensure the incoming chief starts on a strong footing with a CWC of his choice.

It remains to be seen whether G23 oppose the central election authority’s move to ask PCC delegates’ authorisation for new Congress chief to nominate AICC delegates who are voters in the CWC poll.

The Congress has roughly 9,000 blocks. After each block there is a PCC delegate. So 9,000-plus PCC delegates are there are they will vote to elect the new party president. After every eight PCC delegates there is an AICC delegate.

Nearly 1,500 AICC delegates comprise the electoral college for the CWC election.

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