NEW DELHI: The Lok Sabha debacle has made several Congress leaders call for making key organisational changes, a proposal the Congress Working Committee (CWC) had also endorsed.
The party is now aiming at organisational overhaul that will include preventing people from holding organisational posts from contesting polls.
The CWC had on Saturday given full authority to Congress president Rahul Gandhi to make necessary organisational changes, even amend party constitution if necessary, to bring a change in party’s working culture.
“There is a strong thinking that the people holding orgnaisational posts in the party should focus on work related to the organisation and people on the ground should contests elections,” said a senior party leader.
The issue was raised at the CWC by Jyotiraditya Scindia, who reportedly told the party’s highest decision-making body that he couldn’t focus on Guna as he had the additional responsibility as party general secretary for UP.
The party brass cited examples of two former MPs — K C Venugopal from Kerala, who is organisational in-charge, and Rajiv Satav from Maharashtra, who is party in-charge in Gujarat, who decided against contesting elections this time as they were holding organisational posts.
“Now the party is discussing to make this a norm as it will help leaders in focusing on their specific areas,” said a source.
At the CWC meeting, majority of leaders expressed concern that the party had been losing grip on the ground and needed to focus on building grassroots connection and cadre.
“All organisational functionaries would be asked to travel regularly to know the situation on the ground and provide feedback. It will be a mandatory exercise and they will all have to submit ground reports. The party can’t be run sitting in offices and not knowing the ground realities,” said a senior leader.
12 Manipur MLAs quit Congress posts
ITANAGAR: Days after the Congress suffered defeat in both of Manipur’s parliamentary seats, 12 party MLAs resigned from their posts in the Pradesh Congress Committee on Wednesday. Speculations are rife that they might defect to the BJP, which heads the state’s ruling coalition.
One of the MLAs, however, ruled that out. Congress MLA K Ranjit said the MLAs would keep working to strengthen the party at the grassroots level. MLA K Joykishan said they had quit owning moral responsibility for the defeat.