Congress meet to plan internal polls, more state units

The Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party’s highest decision-making body, will meet on Tuesday to ratify the schedule for its internal polls.

Congress sources said party chief Sonia Gandhi will chair the meeting that is expected to give the “ex-post facto” approval to the polls. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi will be present.

Some states, including Uttarakhand and Assam, have also demanded the creation of additional organisational units and the CWC is likely to sanction the move. According to a deadline issued by the Election Commission, the main opposition party has to complete its internal polls by December 31 this year.

The fresh poll schedule circulated by the party’s central election authority says elections for the post of the Congress president will take place between September 16 and October 15.

Once a party chief is chosen, elections to the CWC will take place in November-December. According to the Congress constitution, 12 of the 25-member CWC have to be elected by All India Congress Committee members.

The fresh poll schedule has been divided into five phases. While the first stage comprising new enrollments will end on August 20, the second phase of electing block presidents will conclude on September 4. The third segment ending on September 15 will witness the elections of district presidents followed by state chiefs in the fourth phase from September 16 to October 15.

The plenary session will mark the completion of the final phase.