Mallikarjun Kharge, President, Congress Party
Raipur: The three-day Congress convention is starting from today in Raipur, the capital of Chhattisgarh. On the first day, the party’s steering committee will take a decision regarding the election of half the members of the Congress Working Committee (CWC). On the first day of the party’s 85th Congress, the subject-related committee of the Congress will consider proposals related to politics, economy, international affairs, agriculture, social justice and youth and education.
Congress is the only party where the post of President was elected – Ramesh
On Thursday, a day before the commencement of the convention, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh had said that if the party’s steering committee decides to hold elections to the Congress Working Committee in its meeting on February 24, the elections will be held and preparations have been completed for it. He had said that Congress is the only party where election for the post of President is also held, whereas in no other party there is election for the posts of the organization. The Congress has officially made this comment when a few days back senior Congress leader P Chidambaram had said in an interview that half the members of the CWC should be elected and youth should get a chance in this top policy-making body of the party. Needed
Congress President’s address on 26 February
As per the Congress constitution, out of total 25 members of CWC, 12 members are elected and 11 members are nominated by the party president. The Congress President and the leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party is automatically a member of the CWC. Giving details of the program of the convention, Ramesh said, “On February 25, there will be discussion on proposals related to political, economic and international affairs and on February 26, proposals on agriculture, social justice and youth and education matters will be discussed.” Apart from this, on February 26, there will be a speech by the Congress President at 2 pm and a public meeting will be held at 4 pm.
About 15,000 people invited
In this convention, the Congress will clarify its stand in the context of broad opposition unity in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Congress has invited about 15,000 people in this convention, in which there will be delegates (representatives). District Congress President will be the special delegate. All ‘Bharat Yatris’ and office bearers of advance organizations and departments of the party who will undertake the Padyatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir will be special invitees. According to the Congress, the convention will have 1,338 elected AICC (All India Congress Committee) members, 487 co-opted AICC members, 9,915 elected PCC (Pradesh Congress Committee) members and around 3,000 co-opted PCC members. Will be
Tagline of the convention ‘Join hands with hands’
Enthused by the response to the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, the Congress has kept the tagline of the plenary session ‘Haath Se Hath Jodo’. The AICC members participating in the convention include 704 from general category, 228 from minority community, 381 from OBC (Other Backward Classes), 192 from SC, 133 from ST, 235 women and 501 below 50 years of age. There will be people. The party’s general convention is being held for the first time after Mallikarjun Kharge became Congress president. The last Congress convention was held in Delhi in 2018.