Naya Raipur: Preparation for meeting polls in Karnataka and different states later this yr, non-representation of smaller states, and the redundancy of holding elections to the social gathering’s high decision-making physique when no elections had been held at decrease ranges — these had been the three broad causes Congress leaders cited on the Steering Committee meet to oppose elections to the Congress Working Committee (CWC).
The primary two causes had been cited by Pramod Tiwari, and the third by Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on the meet held right here Friday.
Congress leaders aware of the deliberations informed ThePrint that Digvijaya Singh and Ajay Maken had been batting for CWC elections, together with Abhishek Manu Singhvi.
Title one yr when no meeting elections will likely be held and there will likely be no small states, Singh and Maken contended. “However if you happen to nonetheless don’t wish to maintain elections, change the Congress social gathering’s structure,” a member of the Steering Committee quoted Maken as saying.
One other steering committee member mentioned, “Gehlot saheb‘s argument was fascinating. What is that this argument that we shouldn’t have elections within the high physique as a result of we didn’t have it ‘in neeche ka‘ (decrease) physique? This argument really places a query mark on Mallikarjun Kharge’s election, which the social gathering has been beating drums about. You might be really suggesting that nominated members elected the Congress president!”
A 3rd member of the steering committee had an fascinating tackle why elections to the CWC shouldn’t be held: “If the BJP doesn’t have it, why ought to we now have it?”
In line with the Congress social gathering’s structure, the CWC consists of the social gathering president, its chief in Parliament and 23 others, 12 of whom are elected whereas the remaining 11 are nominated.
Nevertheless, Sonia Gandhi has been nominating all CWC members since she took the reins of the social gathering in 1998. CWC elections had been final held in 1997 when Sitaram Kesri was the social gathering president.
Curiously, all three Gandhis — Sonia, Rahul and Priyanka — had been absent from the Steering Committee assembly the place a choice was made in opposition to holding elections to the CWC.
Two members of the so-called G-23, Anand Sharma and Mukul Wasnik, too opposed the elections, ThePrint has learnt. Each had been signatories to the 2020 letter through which 23 Congress leaders had written to then social gathering president Sonia Gandhi, recommending a sequence of measures to revive the social gathering, together with elections to the CWC.
Former Union finance minister P. Chidambaram, who’s a recognized advocate for CWC elections, selected to not converse on the steering committee assembly Friday.
Congress sources say the choice to authorise social gathering president Mallikarjun Kharge to appoint members to the social gathering’s high decision-making physique is supposed to make sure the induction of Gandhi household loyalists to the CWC. In different phrases, leaders who can’t win elections.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
Additionally Learn: Regardless of dissent, Congress decides to not maintain CWC polls, empowers Kharge to appoint members