New Delhi: The Congress is considering a proposal to give its district presidents a seat at the table during party meetings to pick candidates for elections across states, as part of its efforts to empower grassroots leaders, according to sources.
The proposal, made by an internal committee led by party general secretary (Gujarat in-charge) Mukul Wasnik, will be taken for vetting at the upcoming All India Congress Committee (AICC) session in Ahmedabad on 9 April.
The committee has also suggested that the District Congress Committees (DCCs) be empowered financially as well so that they can execute programmes drawn up by the state and central leaderships on the ground. Other than Wasnik, Kanhaiya Kumar, Sachin Rao, Krishna Allavaru and Meenakshi Natarajan are members of the committee.
The party is currently carrying out a consultation exercise on the proposals with the incumbent district units. On Friday, it held a meeting with 338 district units of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Lakshadweep, Puducherry, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura.
Two more rounds of meetings will be held on 3 and 4 April with the remaining district units. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, and party general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal also addressed the district leaders on Thursday.
Sources told ThePrint that if the AICC session green signals the proposal, then district presidents will also start attending the meetings of the Central Election Committee (CEC), which is the final word when it comes to selection of candidates to fight polls.
The DCC presidents will, however, not be allowed to contest polls for a period of three years, if the proposal is approved. Currently, the AICC directly appoints the district presidents. The latest round of appointments took place on 20 March when Venugopal announced the names of new DCC chiefs in Uttar Pradesh.
The proposal that has now been mooted is to let the state units form committees at the level of every district to shortlist and select DCC presidents. “The basic idea is to decentralise decision making. Congress district units used to be formidable at one point and gradually centralisation of power eroded their authority and power,” said a senior Congress leader.
The district heads are also likely to be made the custodian of the party’s assets and properties at their level. Vijay Inder Singla, the chairman of the party’s newly-created department to oversee its assets and properties, also gave a presentation at Thursday’s meeting
Addressing the first batch of district units on Thursday, Kharge said that the role of DCC presidents is crucial as they are not just the party’s messengers, but its “generals leading from the front on the ground”.
“Therefore, Rahul Gandhi ji and I recognised the need for direct communication with you. It is essential to appoint the most capable, committed, and hardworking individuals to these positions rather than making selections based on local leaders’ recommendations,” Kharge told the DCC representatives.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
