Congress to consider implementing 'one family one ticket' at Chintan Shivir

A second family member can get a Congress ticket to fight the elections only if they have been working in the organisation for a minimum of five years in an “exemplary manner” – this is one of the suggestions that will be seriously considered at the party’s Chintan Shivir that started here on Friday.

Leaders may not be able to cling to their posts for long as the party is also deliberating to put a cap of five years and a cooling off period of three years. Setting up of an assessment wing to monitor performance and constitution of a Public Insight Group to conduct periodic surveys are other important points that the 430-odd leaders gathered here will deliberate.

Congress General Secretary Ajay Maken told a press conference here that the ‘Chintan Shivir’ will “usher in a new era” for the party and “big changes are in store”, with the organisation looking to master the “new tools of democracy” that its opponents have mastered while the party has seen wanting.

“The time is changing, but we have not been able to change as fast as the times,” he said, expressing confidence that the brainstorming will change the face of the party.

The coordination committee on organisational matters led by senior leader Mukul Wasnik has suggested that the party should consider the ‘one family, one ticket’ formula. Maken, a member of the committee on organisation, a second member from a family can get a ticket only if she has worked in the organisation for five years.

“There is near consensus on this formula…A relative or son of an old leader straight away comes and fights polls,” Maken said, adding the formula will be applicable to all in the party, including the Gandhi family.

Sources said this suggestion, which is likely to be adopted, is due to the party coming under attack for promoting family members. This, they said, would weed out multiple ticket seekers from influential families and parachute candidates.

Another suggestion is reserving half of the seats and party positions for those less than 50 years.

On organisation structure, Maken said there is unanimity on setting up mandal committees between booth and block level. At present, he said, many of the block committees are huge and party work was getting affected. Each mandal committee would comprise 15-20 booths and a Block Congress committee would comprise three-four mandals.

The party is also looking at setting up a 'Public Insight Department' to ascertain views of the people and carry out surveys for getting battle ready for elections. Maken said it is time that the party, which is the oldest in the country, has to change in tune with times and use “new tools of democracy”.

He said the party has so far been using external agencies for surveys and gauging the mood of the public. “This will be an in-house department which will be active not just during elections but will also work throughout the year to provide a technology-based feedback mechanism on which issues matter most to the people and which issues should the Congress take up as a strong opposition,” Maken said.

An assessment wing may be another new thing on the block to gauge performance of office bearers. At a time there were complaints about party workers being promoted only because of their proximity to a particular leader, Maken saaid consensus is building on developing an internal assessment wing which will set parameters to promote talent.

“There is a complaint that good workers are not rewarded and poor performers are not punished. Assessment of office bearers is being mooted to promote good workers and to remove others from active posts.” he said.