CWC may hold organisational elections between May 15 and May 30

The party is also looking at a possible window in February to hold the internal polls. Party functionaries said that a long gap between the assembly polls and the organisational elections is required so that the assembly campaign doesn’t suffer

The Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting on Friday may consider holding the much-awaited organisational elections, which could see the election of a new president, between May 15 and May 30, after the assembly elections in four states are over.

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi. (Sonu Mehta/HT PHOTO)

The party is also looking at a possible window in February to hold the internal polls.

Four states—Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal and Assam—and the Union Territory of Puducherry are due for assembly elections in April-May this year. At least two CWC members said that the party needs to complete its internal polls by February as this will give enough time for the new team to prepare for the polls. The Congress is out of power in all four states. It is in power in Puducherry.

Party functionaries maintained that a long gap between the assembly polls and the organisational elections is required so that the assembly campaign doesn’t suffer. “The May schedule can allow the new team under the new president time to settle down as it doesn’t have to bother about facing an imminent election. The February schedule for internal poll can also give the new time enough time to face the state elections,” said a functionary.

Subject to the endorsement of CWC, the elections could be slated for the second half of February or in May. For its part, the Central Election Authority (CEA) has sought a 25-day timeframe for organising the polls. A key decision to be taken relates to convening the All India Congress Committee (AICC) session or organising the voting at the level of state units. The latter option is doable as the delegates’ list collated and cross-checked by CEA is broadly along the lines of names received from the Pradesh Congress Committees.

The CEA was set up last year by interim president Sonia Gandhi for the purpose of holding organisational polls. It has completed the task of drawing up the list of AICC delegates who form the electoral college for the party chief’s election. The poll panel’s recommendations, together with the list of delegates, are understood to have been forwarded to KC Venugopal, AICC general secretary in charge of organisation. They are likely to come up for discussion at Friday’s meeting.