Congress Units Asked To Pass Resolutions Before September 20, Move Ahead Of Party Chief's Election Raises Questions

The central election authority of the Congress has asked all returning officers to ensure that new state unit chiefs and AICC delegates are elected before September 20 and all PCC delegates be given identity cards with QR codes.

This was conveyed by the chairman of the authority conducting organisational elections Madhusudan Mistry with all pradesh returning officers during a meeting, sources said.

They said Mistry while reviewing the internal elections of the Congress, told the returning officers to end the process of electing all AICC delegates in every state across the country between September 16 and 20. A schedule for holding such elections in every state will be out soon.

The notification for the Congress president's election will be out on September 22 by when all the PCC and AICC delegates will be finalised and electoral roll published.

There are over 9,000 delegates who will elect the new Congress president to succeed Sonia Gandhi who is holding the top post as interim president since 2019 after Rahul Gandhi resigned as party chief, taking moral responsibility of the Congress drubbing in Lok Sabha polls.

Though efforts are on to request Rahul Gandhi to take over as party chief once again, he is reportedly not keen on the post and wants a non-Gandhi to be elected.

Sources said Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot is the frontrunner for the top post as he enjoys both proximity and confidence of the Gandhis. However, Shashi Tharoor, who is a member of the G23 which had sought organisational overhaul and reforms in the party in a letter to the Congress president two years ago, may contest in case a non-Gandhi files nomination for the top post.

Tharoor has also been demanding fairness and probity in the Congress president's election and wants the list of electors to be made public. 

Addressing his concern, the central election authority has said that any member desirous of contesting can peruse the electoral roll at its office in AICC headquarters and will be provided with a copy of the electors once his nomination is found in order.

Nomination for the post of Congress president can be filed from September 24 to September 30 from 11 am to 3 pm everyday.

The last day of filing nomination is Friday, September 30, 2022 and after scrutiny of nomination papers on October 1, the last date of withdrawal of nominations is October 8.

The election campaign can be done between October 8 to 16, 2and in case there are more than one candidate, polling will be held at all Pradesh Congress Committee headquarters and at AICC on October 17 between 10 am and 4 pm.

The counting shall take place on October 19 and the results will be declared the same day.

(With PTI inputs)