Editor's Pick: Congress plans organisational overhaul

A “one family, one ticket” rule, restrictions on successive tenures for office-bearers and a “50 under 50” rule to ensure that half the party posts are given to people under 50 years of age are among the major organisational changes that the Congress is all set to bring about after the three-day Nav Sankalp chintan shivir that began on Friday. In her address, Congress president Sonia Gandhi stressed that the party was in dire need of a change in its style of functioning. The “one family, one ticket” rule, however, will come with a rider as it seeks to grant exemption to another family member who has been working in the party for five years and doing “exemplary work”. This could, effectively, mean that members of the Gandhi family such as Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who is yet to contest an election, would be exempted as she has been a party member for several years. “The discussions at the shivir will lay the foundation for a massive organisational overhaul. The ‘one family, one ticket’ rule has been discussed and will be discussed further. There is near-consensus on this formula and exception will only be made if the second ticket aspirant has worked in the party for five years, doing exemplary work,” Ajay Maken, a member of the panel discussing organisational restructuring, told the media. The Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said the party would discuss alliance issues after strengthening its own organisation and unifying its cadres as no partner would come if the party did not have any investment. Inaugurating the three-day meet at Udaipur, Ms. Gandhi said “extraordinary circumstances call for extraordinary actions”, and called upon her party colleagues to repay their debt to the party by putting the organisation above their personal ambitions. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s philosophy of “maximum governance and minimum government” translates into keeping the country in a permanent state of polarisation, “brutalising” the minorities and targeting political opponents, she said. The Congress chief urged the 450-odd delegates at the meet, being held after a string of electoral defeats, including in the recent Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhans, Punjab, Manipir and Goa, to deliberate with an open mind, but send out a single message of a strong and a united party. “It is both chintan (introspection) about national issues and meaningful atma chintan (self-introspection) about our party organisation,” Ms. Gandhi said. The chintan shivir assumes importance in the light of the Congress’ dwindling fortunes at the hustings and the rise of parties such as the Aam Aadmi Party as an opposition to the Bharatiya Janata Party, and that’s why the story is on the front page. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? 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[Arrow]( [Open in browser]( [Mail icon]( [More newsletters]( Congress plans organisational overhaul A “one family, one ticket” rule, restrictions on successive tenures for office-bearers and a “50 under 50” rule to ensure that half the party posts are given to people under 50 years of age are among the [major organisational changes]( that the Congress is all set to bring about after the three-day Nav Sankalp chintan shivir that began on Friday. In her address, Congress president Sonia Gandhi stressed that the party was in dire need of a change in its style of functioning.  The “one family, one ticket” rule, however, will come with a rider as it seeks to grant exemption to another family member who has been working in the party for five years and doing “exemplary work”. This could, effectively, mean that members of the Gandhi family such as Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who is yet to contest an election, would be exempted as she has been a party member for several years. “The discussions at the shivir will lay the foundation for a massive organisational overhaul. The ‘one family, one ticket’ rule has been discussed and will be discussed further. There is near-consensus on this formula and exception will only be made if the second ticket aspirant has worked in the party for five years, doing exemplary work,” Ajay Maken, a member of the panel discussing organisational restructuring, told the media. The Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said the party would discuss alliance issues after strengthening its own organisation and unifying its cadres as no partner would come if the party did not have any investment.  Inaugurating the three-day meet at Udaipur, Ms. Gandhi said “extraordinary circumstances call for extraordinary actions”, and called upon her party colleagues to repay their debt to the party by putting the organisation above their personal ambitions. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s philosophy of “maximum governance and minimum government” translates into keeping the country in a permanent state of polarisation, “brutalising” the minorities and targeting political opponents, [she said.]( The Congress chief urged the 450-odd delegates at the meet, being held after a string of electoral defeats, including in the recent Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhans, Punjab, Manipir and Goa, to deliberate with an open mind, but send out a single message of a strong and a united party. “It is both chintan (introspection) about national issues and meaningful atma chintan (self-introspection) about our party organisation,” Ms. Gandhi said. The chintan shivir assumes importance in the light of the Congress’ dwindling fortunes at the hustings and the rise of parties such as the Aam Aadmi Party as an opposition to the Bharatiya Janata Party, and that’s why the story is on the front page.   Was this newsletter forwarded to you? 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