Cong says steering committee to decide on CWC poll

The Congress on Thursday said all preparations are in place for holding the CWC polls in case the steering committee decides in favour of having the elections for seats in the party’s top decision-making body.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the party president Mallikarjun Kharge-led steering committee will meet at 10 am on February 24, the first day of the party’s 85th plenary session in Chhattisgarh’s Nava Raipur.

Asked whether polls will be held for the Congress Working Committee (CWC) seats, he said, “The steering committee will decide on it tomorrow. This matter will certainly come up during the steering committee meeting. I can inform you about this tomorrow till about 3 pm, I can’t say anything about it today.” He, however, added that the steering committee will decide as per the party’s constitution.

“But we are ready for the (CWC) polls, all preparations have been made. If the decision is in favour of the polls, then elections will take place,” Ramesh said at a press conference a day before the plenary session starts.

He said the Congress is the only party that has held polls for party president’s post and there have been elections for the CWC in the past as well.

There is no political party that has elections for party posts and in the last 22 years, the Congress is the only party that has an impartial election body for holding internal polls, he claimed.

Echoing similar views, Congress general secretary organization K C Venugopal told PTI that all preparations are in place if the steering committee decides that an election is needed.

The Congress top brass will attend the 85th plenary session that will primarily endorse the presidentship of Kharge and will pave the way for the new working committee led by him.

On the first day of the three-day session, the steering committee, which is playing the role of the Working Committee (the previous one was dissolved until a new CWC is formed), will also decide on whether there will be elections to the top decision-making body or not.

Days ahead of the plenary session, senior leader P Chidambaram had said half of the CWC members should be elected as per the AICC constitution and batted for younger leaders’ inclusion in the party’s top decision-making body.