CWC election to take place during Raipur Plenary Session between Feb 24 and 26

Ending speculation, the Congress on Monday said that the elections to its Working Committee will be held during the three-day Plenary Session in Raipur starting February 24.

The party had announced after its Steering Committee meeting on December 4 last year that the Plenary Session to ratify Mallikarjun Kharge's election as Congress president will be held in the second half of February in the capital of Chhattisgarh.

It had not then categorically announced plans to conduct elections to the Congress Working Committee (CWC), though Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal had said that such things will happen according to the party Constitution.

On Monday, Venugopal told a press conference, "As per the (Congress) Constitution, the CWC election will also be there along with the Plenary Session."

Announcing the schedule of the Plenary between February 24 and 26, he also said there will be discussions on six major subjects -- political, economy, international affairs, farmers and agriculture, social justice and empowerment and youth, education and employment.

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Venugopal said a committee on Constitutional Amendments will also be set up for the Plenary Session, which is mandatory after the election of a Congress president. Till a new CWC is elected, the existing CWC is turned into a Steering Committee to run the party and assist the new president.

As per Congress Constitution, 12 CWC members are elected while the party president is empowered to nominate 12 to the elite body. The nomination process is aimed at ensuring that the president gets to function normally and the elected CWC members do not create unnecessary hurdles for the party chief as well as for ensuring representation of various groups.

All eyes will now turn to who all will file their nomination for a contest and who Kharge will choose as nominated members. At the same time, senior leaders said, the Plenary Session can also decide to authorise the party president to nominate all the 24 CWC members though it is an unlikely proposition after the party holding election to the post of president.

Sources said top leader Rahul Gandhi is in favour of a contest to the post of CWC on the lines of the party president poll and he believes it would strengthen the party. With Shashi Tharoor, who contested against Kharge for presidentship, unlikely to contest the CWC polls, it is to be seen whether Kharge nominates him to the top body.

A section of Kerala leaders are not that enthused with Tharoor’s prospects as it will increase his clout in the state where he could emerge as Chief Ministerial face, an eventuality with an enhanced profile.

The composition of the CWC will define Kharge’s presidency as it will reveal whether all the talk about rejuvenation process following Udaipur Chintan Shivir will take place. Kharge has announced that he is going to set up a Public Insight Group and a separate Election Department as decided in Udaipur earlier this May.

Several leaders are aspiring to be in the new committee but with Kharge making it clear that he would implement the Udaipur Declaration of having 50 per cent in the leadership at all levels would be those below 50 years, many seniors may have to sit out.