Congress starts process to elect next chief

NEW DELHI: The central election authority of Congress met on Wednesday, kick-starting the process of finalising the roadmap for election to the post of party president.
The election panel, headed by former MP and former party general secretary Madhusudan Mistry, was announced after the stormy CWC meeting which discussed the letter by a group of 23 dissident leaders demanding “able and visible leadership” in the party.
Sources said if the election to the top post is to be held, it may take place separately before an AICC plenary session is organised to ratify the election. Importantly, the Mistry panel is also to decide on elections to the Congress Working Committee, as demanded by the dissidents.
The CWC will meet soon to decide whether elections are to be held both for the post of president and CWC or only the former.
The meeting is learnt to have discussed the “logistics” of the organisational polls besides the nitty-gritty of the process which is to be finalised. The issue of electoral college, whether it is to be drawn afresh or the polls are to be held with the old list, was also touched upon. A senior leader said the timeline for the polls was yet to be discussed. Importantly, the party is learnt to be thinking of holding an AICC session in January.
The election authority comprises former MP Rajesh Mishra, Lok Sabha MP Jothimani, Delhi leader Arvinder Singh Lovely and former Karnataka minister Krishna Byre Gowda.