NEW DELHI: Even as the Delhi unit of the Congress is yet to get a new chief, it has decided to hit the ground running in view of the assembly elections scheduled early next year.
The party will begin booth-level meetings in all 70 constituencies from next week. PC Chacko, the All India Congress Committee member in charge of the local unit of Congress, on Friday held deliberations with district presidents and the media team and discussed poll preparations.
“I met the district presidents, media team and spokesperson to discuss plans for the elections and also allotted work and responsibilities to them. As the elections are approaching, we can’t afford to wait any longer for the new president. Preparation work should not suffer,” Chacko said.
A decision to nominate the new head of Delhi Congress is to be taken by the party’s interim president, Sonia Gandhi. The post of Delhi Congress president fell vacant after former chief minister Sheila Dikshit passed away on July 20.
Gandhi held meetings with senior Delhi Congress leaders last month to choose an eligible candidate to head the local unit.
Chacko was supposed to meet Gandhi on Friday to take a decision, which has been pending for more than two months. However, the meeting didn’t take place.
Chacko said that he would certainly meet the Congress president in the next few days and the name of the local unit’s chief could be announced soon.
“Meanwhile, we have decided to start work with holding booth-level meetings in each of the 70 Assembly constituencies from October 9,” he said.
A schedule of booth-level meetings was drawn up in the meeting with district presidents. There are five assembly segments in each district and there will be five booth-level meetings in each one of them, he said. All the booth-level workers will attend the 70 meetings in coming days to work for election preparations.
A senior party functionary has said that since the senior leadership couldn’t reach a consensus on an “experienced” leader for the job, it had begun looking for a “fresh face”. Earlier, it was reported that the party might opt for an experienced leader who has held the post in the past.
“The party is looking for a new name for the post. I may see her tomorrow and the name may be announced in 2-3 days,” Chacko had said on Thursday.
Fresh face to head Delhi unit, says leader
A senior party functionary has said that since the senior leadership couldn’t reach a consensus on an “experienced” leader for the job, it had begun looking for a “fresh face”. The name may be announced in 2-3 days, said PC Chacko, the AICC member in charge of Delhi.