Congress to empower its district units

The Congress is set to strengthen its district units, which will have a say in the party’s Central Election Committee (CEC), which deliberates on candidate selection for various elections, The Tribune has learnt.

Sources revealed the process of selecting district Congress committee (DCC) presidents would involve rigorous screening, including detailed interviews of aspirants. The selection panel will also consider factors such as gender, caste and minority representation before forwarding recommendations to the party president.

The party will now invite DCC representatives to the CEC meetings to incorporate their input when choosing candidates for elections, whether for local bodies or other polls, the sources said.

Additionally, the DCCs will adopt the Kerala model, where party workers collect donations through door-to-door campaigns, the sources said.

The pilot project for the selection of DCC chiefs in Gujarat’s 41 districts is already underway, with senior leader Rahul Gandhi launching the initiative. The process is expected to conclude by May 31.

Rahul on Tuesday held an orientation meeting in Ahmedabad with AICC and PCC observers before they began the statewide selection of district unit heads. He also kicked off the pilot project in Modasa town, Arvalli district.

A five-member committee, comprising one AICC observer and four PCC observers, will oversee the appointment of new DCC presidents in each of Gujarat’s 41 districts. After Gujarat, the exercise is likely to extend to Madhya Pradesh and Odisha.

India