Congress organisational polls to be completed by July 2015

The Congress has unveiled a timeline for organisational elections. Giving itself a one-year deadline, the party is slated to hold elections at all levels, right from primary unit block committees to the Congress president. But party sources confirmed the top post could also be ‘elected through consensus’, indicating the radical changes that party Vice-President Rahul Gandhi wanted to usher in the rank and file were a long way off.

By the timeline, elections for party membership will have to be completed this year. After this, elections for booth and block committees will have to be completed by April 30. Legislative assembly election-bound Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand will be exempted from this exercise.

The elections for president, treasurer and six members of district committees will have to be completed by June. In the next phase, Pradesh Congress Committee presidents, executive committee members and All India Congress Committee members at the Centre will have to be elected by July 25 next year.

The ‘election of the president’ is to be completed by July 25.

The AICC members would elect the Congress Working Committee members, who form the highest decision-making body, but this would take place only when the Congress holds its plenary session.

General-secretary in-charge of organisation Janardan Dwivedi had said, "When parties are in power, much attention is not paid to organisation. We have time now to strengthen the organisation. We should seize the opportunity and hold organisational elections to strengthen the party."

But sources said the step will not be revolutionary. The party would still have scope for election through consensus for key posts like the president.