Cong prepares for party polls in states, presidential election
The Congress on Monday closed registration of members for start of the organisational election process to be held in five phases from August 7 to complete the entire process by October 15.
Congress Election Authority (CEA) chairman Mullappally Ramachandran has already asked all appointed officials to conduct the elections in the states to stop enrollment of the primary membership drive and collect all membership books, so as to publish the list of the member-voter by May 30.
In the first phase from August 7 to 20, the booth level committees will be constituted with election of their presidents while objections to the district-wise list of members will be entertained simultaneously.
In the second phase, the block committee executives and delegates to the District Congress Committees (DCCs) will be elected from August 21 to September 4, followed by the elections of the DCCs will be held from September 5 to 15, in which the delegates elected from the blocks will be the voters.
AICC members who participate in the election of the Congress president are also elected in this phase.
Election of the Pradesh Congress Committees (PCC) office-bearers will be held from September 15 to October 15. The CEC, who is also ex-officio returning officer for the presidential election, is to announce the schedule for the election of the Congress president also during this last phase of the elections.
Election of the Congress president, in case of a contest, is held through secret ballot papers at the state headquarters and they are sent to the AICC for the final counting by the CEC. The Congress leaders do not expect any contest as they say it would be either Sonia Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi.