Youth Cong too not spared of dynastic politics

According to party sources, the Election Commission (EC) of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) had taken painstaking measures to ensure that one of its high profile candidates, aspiring for the State President’s post, is accommodated at any cost.

Sources allege that the EC has, in fact, bent its own rules to make certain that Priyank Kharge, Chittapur candidate and son of Union Labour Minister Mallikarjuna Kharge, is not disqualified from the election process.

The handbook brought out by the EC that details the dos and don’ts for candidates, specifies that those individuals who already hold a charge in the party cannot contest for the ongoing elections. The individuals have to resign from the post and then contest, it adds.

On September 25, Tumkur candidate Geetha Rajanna, who is also a Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) member, was specifically asked by the Lok Sabha Returning Officer to resign from the PCC post before filing her nominations.

Kharge too is a PCC member, but the EC apparently failed to ask him to resign from his post. However, the EC sent an email to Geetha on September 26 asking her to continue as a PCC member. The email stated that Geetha just held a membership and was not designated to any post, and that she could withdraw her resignation.

When contacted, Pradesh Returning Officer Ari Vazhagan said Geetha and Kharge were not violating the code of conduct.