Chintan Shivir: Congress announces major organisational reforms

The Congress on Sunday announced wide-ranging organisational reforms to make the party battle-ready for the next round of assembly and Lok Sabha polls, stressing on wider representation to those under 50 years of age and enforcing 'one person, one post' and 'one family, one ticket' rules with riders.

IMAGE: Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi with senior party leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, P Chidambaram, Bhupinder Hooda and others during submission of reports by convenors of the coordination panels, in Udaipur. Photograph: PTI Photo

They said the party has adopted the 'one-family, one ticket' formula with the rider that another family member seeking to contest elections should have worked in the party in an exemplary manner for at least five years.

The party, the sources said, has also approved 50 per cent representation to SCs, STs, OBCs and minorities at all levels of the organisation, as part of its social engineering efforts to win the confidence of the weaker and oppressed sections of society.

In its Udaipur Declaration adopted after deliberations at the 'Nav Sankalp Chintan Shivir', the Congress also decided to set up three new departments -- public insight, election management and national training.

The party announced enforcing the one family, one ticket' rule with exception to be made only when another family member has been working in the party for at least five years.

The party also decided that no person should hold one party position for more than five years to give opportunity to new people.

The party has also decided to provide 50 per cent representation to those below 50 years of age at all levels of organisation.

The Congress president will set up an advisory group from among Congress Working Committee (CWC) members to deliberate on political challenges, the party announced.

In her concluding address, Congress president Sonia Gandhi announced that a task force will be set up to initiate the organisational reforms.

She said the Congress will launch a 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' from Kanyakumari to Kashmir beginning on Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti October 2.

The party will also launch the second phase of its 'Jan Jagran Yatra' at the district level from June 15, she announced.

The Congress held the three-day conclave in Udaipur in the backdrop of a string of electoral defeats and dissent in the party for the past many years.