Delhi Congress, which faced humiliating defeat in three successive elections, has finally started the process of reorganisation of its State unit in the national Capital. The party, which had dissolved its Pradesh and district committees after facing defeat in the 2013 Assembly elections, held its first meeting on Tuesday with the leaders of the four lok Sabha seats to finalise the modalities for holding the district-level conventions, which have not been held for more than three years. The party will be holding meeting with the leaders of the three remaining parliamentary seats on Wednesday.
Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken said the district-level conventions were being organised to strengthen the party at the grassroots level and to enrol maximum number of members for the organisational elections by May 15. “Our thrust is also on to involve a maximum number of youth and women in our organisational fold.”
While the party has appointed two observers in each of its 13 districts, it has appointed three observers in Kirari district. Among the prominent leaders appointed as observers are former Speaker Yoganand Shastri, former city Ministers Narender Nath and Kiran Walia, former Delhi Commission for Women chairperson Anjali Rai and former legislators Zile Singh and Kunwar Karan Singh.
A highly-placed source said that the main thrust of the Congress is to put in place a foolproof and transparent mechanism that would encourage appointments of grassroots level cadres at the State, district and block committees. Maken said that the party’s thrust was to involve genuine workers in all its decision making processes. “We will also ensure that only genuine workers are given party tickets in future elections.”
The Congress has been busy carrying out its enrolment drive ever since Maken took over as DPCC president after the party faced its worst-ever electoral defeat in the recent Assembly polls, in which it could not even open its account in the 70-member Assembly.
The party has reportedly fixed May 30 for publication of its list of members along with the names of the eligible contestants for participation in the organisational election. After going through objections, if any raised by members, the final list will be published by the District Congress Committee on July 24. The elections for the posts of presidents and executives of the primary committees will be held between July 28 and August 14.