Friday, June 10 2022

Ahead of the first meeting of the Congressional Working Committee (CWC) in five months on Saturday, the chances of the party announcing organizational elections, including for party chairman, looked bleak. On the eve of the meeting, several Congress leaders, including members of the Group of 23 who have called for sweeping changes in the party’s structure, argued that the party should not go to the polls now and should focus on upcoming assembly elections in five states.

The G-23 leaders also indicated that they would not object if the high-level body decided to postpone again the organizational elections in view of the elections. Many CWC members whom The Indian Express spoke to were in favor of keeping Sonia Gandhi as acting chairperson.

“There are still elections in some states. There will continually be elections in one or another state or group of states until 2024. I think the priority of the party should be to win those elections or consolidate our position, instead of thinking about those Questions. There are challenges in front of the party and there are bigger challenges in front of the nation… There are questions of democratic values, the question of the weakest sections, unemployment… the economy is in very bad shape. All of these things are very dear to Congress. I think we should focus on these issues and on winning the elections in the states. Everyone realizes that… But anyway, if the party believes there should be elections, we are also ready for elections,” CWC member Harish Rawat told The Indian Express.

Some of the G-23 leaders added, however, that the CWC can decide on the timing of the membership drive, which was last held in 2016-17, in the run-up to organizational elections.

“We haven’t had a membership drive for five or six years. So how to organize organizational elections? We will first have to organize the membership campaign. But the next elections to the Assembly are the priority. We can discuss the calendar (for organizational elections). But first, the membership drive will have to start at some point,” said a G-23 leader.

“Abhi karna bekaar hai, kaun sambhaalega? Jab tak madam hai, gaadi chalega. Gaadi chalta hai. Madame chhod degi, toh gaadi bhi chalna band ho jayegi. Is samay afratafri ka mahaul hai har state mein (There is no point in holding elections at this stage, who will keep the party together? Until Sonia Gandhi is here, the party is on track, functioning “When she resigns, even that Stop. Right now in every state there is confusion)… So at such a time everyone has faith in Sonia Gandhi, she is a unifying force,” another said. senior leader, considered loyal to the family, on the issue of electing a new president.

The CWC is expected to pass some resolutions, and many leaders resented the initiative taken by Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident – ​​in which the son of Union Home Minister Ajay Mishra is accused of murdering four farmers – will come for wholesome praise.

A member of the AICC office wondered if anything would come out of the meeting other than that. With permanent guests, special guests, chief ministers all speaking, the refrain “will be too repetitive”, the leader said. “Everyone will be keen to impress Sonia Gandhi, Rahul and Priyanka. There will be competitive sycophancy and ego massage. generally a meaningless exercise.

Another leader said it would be the resolutions passed that would be the most significant thing at the meeting, apart from “the position we take on critical issues”. “The rest of the organizational matters can wait. The country is watching us… as the main opposition party, our position on key issues affecting the people.

At least two leaders have said the CWC should discuss reports from the committee set up by Sonia Gandhi to look into the party’s losses in the last round of assembly elections. “We still don’t know what the committee said about the debacle in Kerala and Assam and the rout in West Bengal. We should discuss this before planning the next round of elections,” one leader said.

Rawat was outspoken in her support for Sonia Gandhi’s continuation, saying Congress had done very well under her. “These are difficult times…Even my friends in the G-23…they know that too…Time and time again senior officials like Ghulam Nabi Azad have expressed confidence in his leadership.

2 years of uncertainty

It has been two years since Rahul Gandhi resigned as President of Congress and Sonia Gandhi was brought back to the helm in an interim capacity. Many leaders believe she should continue while much hopes for Rahul’s return. Whatever the decision, it’s time for the big old party to get its house in order as another round of crucial elections looms.

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