NEW DELHI: After burning fingers in 2019 Lok Sabha elections owing to bogus membership data generated through ‘Shakti App’, the Congress is working on a foolproof system to launch the digital membership drive starting November 1 before organisational elections.
The membership drive, to be launched by the Congress Data Cell under investment banker Praveen Chakravarty, who was criticised for party’s rout in 2019 election after it provided misleading inputs based on false data, is coming up with a digital system that will prevent fake membership data entry with an inbuilt process to validate it.
“The Data Cell has asked all state units to provide names of party office bearers who will be directly involved with the membership drive and will be accountable for the entire process,” said a member of the Data cell.
Congress general secretary incharge for UP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had flagged bogus membership issues during a recent meeting of party general secretaries, state in-charges and senior leaders chaired by Sonia Gandhi to discuss the membership drive, among other issues.
“She was categorical that the focus should be on enrollment of genuine people who want to work for the party rather than exaggerated membership figures of random enrollment. She said the party should be wary of inflated membership numbers and even if they get 5 genuine workers, it is fine,” said a senior party leader.
The party will run a membership drive from November 1 to March 31, 2022 before electing a new party president by September 2022.
The All India Congress Committee Data Analytics as AICC Technology was reorganised as Data Cell within the organisation in September 2020.
It was given a mandate to take various technology initiatives by development of appropriate systems.