Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday constituted the party’s Central Election Committee with 16 members including himself and former party chiefs Sonia and Rahul Gandhi. The development is in preparation for key Assembly elections in states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh. This panel discusses and finalises the list of candidates for any parliamentary or state elections, including any bypolls.
The other members of the election committee include the leader of Congress in Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, AICC general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal, and veteran party leaders Ambika Soni and Madhusudan Mistry.
Party high command has dropped some veterans from the committee this time in a bid to include several new faces. In doing so, the Kharge has attempted to strike a balance between experienced leaders and fresh new faces from key states. The makeup of this newly appointed committee is a clear indication that the party is being careful ahead of next year’s elections and is seriously weighing its strategies moving forward. The latest entrants include Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister TS Singh Deo, former Union Minister Salman Khurshid, Telangana MP Uttam Kumar Reddy, and Karnataka minister KJ. Former Uttarakhand Congress chief Pritam Singh, Bihar MP Mohammed Jawed, Rajya Sabha member Amee Yajnik, Madhya Pradesh Congress leader Omkar Markam and former MP PL Punia have also been included for the first time. Among those who did not find a place in the panel are Mukul Wasnik, Girija Vyas and Mohsina Kidwai.
