AICC plenary likely after Karnataka polls

The AICC Plenary Session expected to be held after Rahul Gandhi's election as Congress president is likely to be held after the Karnataka Assembly polls.

A senior Congress leader told DH that the plenary (the last was held in Burari on the fringes of Delhi in 2010) could be hosted by the Punjab unit of the Congress at Mohali after the upcoming elections to four states are concluded.

The Karnataka Congress was keen to host the plenary in Bengaluru, but any such event in the state has been ruled out for now as it would divert the attention of the party from the crucial elections.

"There is no talk of the plenary within party circles as of now," the leader said, adding that the party was busy with organisational issues in the immediate aftermath of the conclusion of the presidential election.

Bengaluru had hosted the 81st plenary session of the AICC in 2001 during S M Krishna's tenure as chief minister. It was the first plenary after Sonia Gandhi took over as Congress president in 1998. Before that, Bengaluru had hosted the plenary in 1960 when Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy was the president of the party.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was keen to have the plenary in Bengaluru but the delay in the conclusion of the organisational election process deprived the Karnataka unit of the opportunity to host the biggest gathering of party leaders.

Rahul Gandhi formally assumed charge as Congress president on December 16. On Saturday, he decided that all state Congress presidents will continue in their posts, suggesting a gradual approach in re-casting the organisation.

On Monday evening, interacting with NRIs in Bahrain, Rahul said he would present a "new shining Congress party" over the next six months.