By Express News Service
NEW DELHI: A five-year term for all office-bearers was among the biggest takeaways — besides ‘one family one ticket’ and ‘50 below 50’ — of the Congress ‘chintan’ at its Udaipur shivir. However, brainstorming after the session, the Congress has decided that party president will be exempted from the fixed five-term rule.
Meanwhile, the Congress is preparing a list of all office-bearers who will face the axe under the formula which stipulates giving 50 per cent representation to those below 50 years of age. Resignations of many office-bearers are expected in the coming months. In fact, the beginning has already been made. Kerala MP TN Prathapan was the first one to quit as head of the party’s fisheries department.
The party held a follow-up meeting after the Chintan Shivir, with all general secretaries in attendance, and another meeting is scheduled on Wednesday to look at implementing the ‘Nav Sankalp’ declarations. Initially, the party is looking to fill up the vacant posts within three to six months and constitute the booths, mandal and block committees. Process to constitute new departments — election management, national training institute and public insight department — will also begin.
Asked if a time-frame had been fixed for completing the entire process, Congress general secretary Ajay Maken said: “For the PCC (Pradesh Congress Committee) office-bearers, we want 50 per cent members to be less than 50 (years old). Similarly, for the AICC working committee, 50 per cent members should be less than 50. For that purpose, the central electoral authority has to be sensitised because at that level, these things have to be taken care of so that it can be implemented.”
