Leaders pitch for Rahul poll model
Congress gears up for another term
A section of Congress leaders made a strong demand for ending the culture of nomination at all levels for democratic functioning of the party and its revival, at the Congress brainstorming conclave here on Saturday.
The Chintan Shivir also saw a plea for replicating Rahul Gandhi’s model of holding elections to the Youth Congress and NSUI in the parent body as well as in all its other wings.
Kerala PCC President Ramesh Chennithala took the lead by demanding that the parent body should follow the organisational election model introduced by Rahul in the two youth wings.
“The present nomination system is weakening the party. It is high time that systematic, regular organisational elections are held. Rahul was able to conduct elections in Youth Congress and NSUI. Congress also needs a comprehensive organisational plan to conduct elections,” he said.
AICC secretary Sagar Rayaka demanded that members for Congress working committee should also be elected doing away with the current practice of nominating all 22 members as “irresponsible” leaders and power brokers manage entry into the allpowerful group due to nomination culture, sources said.
Going by the discussions in Chintan Shivir it is evident that Congress is confident of another term at the Centre. The developments in the BJP over its leadership issue is making the Congress optimistic The brain-storming session saw several suggestions including coining a catchy slogan like “Congress ka haath, yuva ke saath”, discrediting smaller parties to gain space, and strengthening bloc units.
“The alliances should be state-specific and based on local factors. If the Congress cannot form a government on its own, then the regional parties too cannot come to power on their own. This is the reality,” a Congress CM, viewed.
He also said, let the country pay the political price of fractured verdicts. “But then we have to find a way out in such situations,” he added.
The Congress is open to pre-poll and post-poll alliances after realising that it cannot fight with regional players and BJP simultaneously in UP, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Maharashtra, MP and Chhattisgarh. Asked whether Nitish Kumar is welcomed in the party, a Congress leader said let him come out of the NDA. His politics has been anti-Congress, he pointed out.