India: Congress to elect new president, announces election schedule

India's premier opposition party Congress has announced the schedule for the election of the post of party's national president. The election for the top party post will be held on October 17 and the counting of votes to be done, if necessary, two days later on October 19.

The announcement was made by the party's highest decision-making body, the Congress Working Committee (CWC), which assembled for a meeting on Sunday.

The CWC also said that the filing of nominations will start on September 24, with the deadline being September 30.

The nominations will be scrutinised by October 1 with candidates allowed to withdraw their nominations till October 7.

Reportedly, current Congress President Sonia Gandhi attended the meeting virtually as she is abroad for medical check-ups for some health problems. Former prime minister Manmohan Singh, party’s central election authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry, KC Venugopal, former Union ministers Jairam Ramesh, Mukul Wasnik, P Chidambaram, Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot and Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel also attended the meeting.

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It is pertinent to note that the announcement of the party's presidential elections comes in the backdrop of several high-profile Congress leaders exiting the party, citing lack of leadership at the top.

Notably, it was the recent resignation of Jammu & Kashmir Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad that created the most buzz as experts cast aspersions over the Gandhi family's ability to lead the party out of the rut it finds itself in currently.

Calling Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi for his "immaturity" and for "demolishing the consultative mechanism" of the party, Azad in his letter to the Congress president Sonia wrote: "Unfortunately, after the entry of Rahul Gandhi into politics and particularly after January 2013, when he was appointed Vice President by you (Sonia Gandhi), the entire consultative mechanism which existed earlier was demolished by him."

"The leadership in the past eight years has tried to foist a non-serious individual at the helm of the party. The entire organizational election process is a farce and a sham. Before starting Bharath Jodo Yatra, the leadership should have undertaken a Congress Jodo exercise across the country," he added.

Read more:Ghulam Nabi Azad quits Congress: As it happened

Akin to Azad, Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill, in his resignation letter, had also echoed similar sentiments.

"In the past 8 years, I have not taken anything from Congress but only poured into the party. Today when I am being pushed to bow down before people because they are close to the top leadership. This is not acceptable to me," said Shergill in his letter.

Read more:Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill quits, says sycophancy is eating the party like termites

(With inputs from agencies)

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