Tag: Congress president

Rahul Gandhi attacks Centre, says, ‘Congress bank accounts frozen, can’t campaign’

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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With just weeks before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday slammed the Narendra Modi-led central government and said that his party’s bank accounts had been frozen and they had no money to do campaign work.

“All our bank accounts have been frozen. We can do no campaign work, we cannot support our workers, we cannot support our candidates,” Rahul said at a press conference attended by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Chairperson of Congress Parliamentary Party Sonia Gandhi among others.

“One notice comes from the 90s, another from 6-7 years ago. Quantum amount ₹14 lakh and punishment – our entire financial identity… The Election Commission has not said anything… Already, our ability to fight elections has been damaged, we have already lost a month,” he said.

The Wayanad MP claimed that this criminal action on the Congress had been done by the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister.

“So, the idea that India is a democracy is a lie. There is no democracy in India today. The idea that India is the world’s largest democracy is a lie. A complete lie. 20% of India votes for us and we are not able to pay ₹2 for anything,” Rahul said.

He added that this has been orchestrated to cripple the party in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

He further alleged that this not just freezing the Congress party’s bank accounts, but the “freezing of Indian democracy.”

Being the biggest Opposition party in the country, Congress is unable to take action, he said and added, “We cannot book advertisements or send our leaders anywhere… We can’t afford train tickets to send our leaders to campaign… This is an assault on democracy.”

While attacking the Centre over the issue of freezing of Congress’ accounts due to an Income Tax returns issue, Sonia Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of crippling the grand old party financially and demanded that it should be given access to all its bank accounts to ensure a level playing field in the run-up to the 2024 general elections.

She said the money was being taken away from Congress’ accounts forcefully. “Systematic effort is underway by the prime minister to cripple the Congress financially,” she added.

Meanwhile, the BJP on Thursday dismissed the Congress’ attack on the government over freezing its bank accounts as the opposition party’s ‘desperate’ attempt to create an alibi for its imminent defeat in the Lok Sabha polls, reports PTI.

BJP leader and former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad accused former Congress president Rahul Gandhi of lying on the issue and also targeted Sonia Gandhi, saying both of them shamed Indian democracy globally with their “irresponsible” comments.

Prasad said the Congress did not file income tax returns in time, leading to the freezing of its accounts.

The opposition party did not get any judicial relief and has now gone to the Supreme Court, he said, accusing Congress leaders of lying over the issue. He said the Congress was even pulled up by high court over the issue.

Last week, the Election Commission announced the schedule for the 2024 general elections, which will be held in seven phases from April 19 to June 1. The counting of votes will take place on June 4.

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Kharge at Congress Plenary: Ready to align with the likeminded to defeat BJP in 2024 polls

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Congress is willing to forge a viable alternative by aligning with like-minded parties in order to get rid of the ‘anti-people’ BJP government in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge at the party’s 85th plenary session in Raipur on Saturday

The party is ready to make any sacrifice required to achieve the goal, Kharge said in his address.

He took potshots at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that the “pradhan sevak of Delhi, who gets advertisements printed every day, is serving his own friend”.

The DNA of those sitting in Delhi is anti-poor and they are attempting to destroy democracy, he said and called for a people’s movement against the prevailing situation in the country.

Hailing party leader Rahul Gandhi for the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Kharge said the march united the country with people from all walks of life coming together.

The yatra emerged as a strong voice against the unprecedented challenges that people face today, Kharge said.

ALSO READ | Sonia Gandhi calls Bharat Jodo Yatra, a turning point for Congress

“Such challenges include continuing assault on the constitutional values, democracy and social fabric of our country, issues of national security at the border with China, the prevailing atmosphere of hatred and fear, all-time high inflation, record unemployment and the increasing economic inequality,” he said.

In the prevailing difficult circumstances, the Congress is the only party that can provide capable and decisive leadership to the country, Kharge asserted.

From 2004 to 2014, the Congress-led alliance with like-minded parties effectively served the people of the country, he noted.

“We once again look forward to forging a viable alternative by aligning with like-minded parties to defeat the anti-people and undemocratic BJP government.

“We are ready to strive for the welfare of the people of our country and (will make) whatever sacrifices that are required,” Kharge said.

ALSO READ | Congress Plenary: It’s time for a reality check and chart a future course with pragmatism

Kharge also said the goal for the upcoming state elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls is clear.

He also raised the slogan of “Seva, sangharsh aur balidan, sabse pehle Hindustan (Service, struggle, sacrifice. The country comes first)”.

Kharge also claimed that the BJP is breaking parliamentary and constitutional traditions and “misusing” agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for toppling governments.

He claimed that the plenary session was also targeted with ED raids in Chhattisgarh, adding that Congress leaders fought bravely to ensure that the session could be held.

He also claimed that the BJP-led government is “handing over all the country’s assets to his friends”.

ALSO READ |  Bharat Jodo Yatra — Will the concluding part set the stage for a 2024 coalition?

“Rail, BHEL (Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited), SAIL (Steel Authority of India Limited), they are selling everything, from the sky, land to everything in existence,” he said, adding that people are worried whether the LIC (Life Insurance Corporation) and the SBI (State Bank of India) will survive or even these institutions will be “sold”.

He also launched an attack on the government over the border issue with China, claiming that the Chinese intruded but the “PM said no one has come in”.

He said the party will also make efforts to rid the country of the prevailing environment of hate and spread harmony.

With PTI  inputs

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VIEW | The new Congress President and the road ahead

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The wait is over. After a prolonged period of uncertainty, the Indian National Congress finally found its new president in Mallikarjun Kharge, who becomes the second person after S Nijilingappa, from Karnataka to be elected to the office.

The octogenarian takes over the reins of the grand old party from Sonia Gandhi, who had the unique distinction of over two decades as the president. It also brings to an end the uninterrupted run of the family at the helm of affairs of the Congress since 1998.

The new Congress president takes office at a difficult juncture when its presence in Parliament and state Assemblies has shrunk into a miniature version of the party that basked in glory less than a decade ago.

The political landscape has altered since 2014 and the Congress is staring at twin challenges both from within and outside. During the last eight years, the Bharatiya Janata Party under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party leader Amit Shah catapulted the party to the pole position in the country.

While preparing to pick up the gauntlet in an unequal contest with the BJP, the Congress under its new leadership will have to first come to grips with the severe lack of thrust and focus inside the organisation.

To check the state of drift in the party will be among the foremost tasks of the new president even as the former president Rahul Gandhi is undertaking the Bharat Jodo Yatra to spread the message of togetherness and brotherhood among the people.

By the time the Yatra comes to an end, the Congress party hopes the message will gradually sink in and raise consciousness that could assist the party in clawing back chunks of space occupied by parties of different persuasions.

What is crucial is the extent of support Kharge gets from the two former presidents Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul. Party workers would accord legitimacy to the change of leadership only when the family members continue to stand with the new president. By all accounts, Kharge enjoys the confidence of the Gandhis which should allow smooth navigation of the ship.

Tasks to correct the course would be to prioritise and align the party compass to the latest declaration at the Udaipur convention that identified ‘Indian Nationalism’ as the core character of the party. The convention held earlier this year also drew a roadmap that the new chief will have to implement.

His age notwithstanding, Kharge has demonstrated immense energy in his role as the Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha and should bring similar vigour to his new role.

The president assumes office in the backdrop of two major events. He was elected with Shashi Tharoor as a challenger who injected different thoughts and ideas during the campaign. His band of supporters would have to be integrated in the new scheme of things.

The second instance was that Kharge takes office weeks after the party suffered a severe loss of face in Rajasthan when factions owing allegiance to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot ran circles around the leadership’s chosen emissaries – Kharge and Ajay Maken who returned without accomplishing the mission of a leadership change in the state.

Kharge as the president will have to take a call on how to deal with a Chief Minister’s men who snubbed the High Command while ensuring any action does not result in causing incalculable harm to the party’s prospects in the assembly elections next year. At the same time, the Rajasthan episode should not encourage open defiance by party units elsewhere.

Handling Rajasthan will be the first test of the Congress president who will also have to hit the ground running in launching a political campaign in Himachal Pradesh where elections for the new assembly will be held next month and strap up for Gujarat polls which would follow thereafter.

Given the cyclic nature of the change of government in the hill state of Himachal Pradesh, Congress is hoping to wrest power back from the BJP. The presence of Aam Aadmi Party could queer the pitch for the Congress which will sorely miss Virbhadra Singh, whose hold in both upper and lower regions of the state was legendary.

On the external front, Congress has over two years to prepare a blueprint to reshape its strategy for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in the face of a humongous challenge posed by the BJP. The Congress electoral performance in the last two polls left the party and its workers dejected. Can the party get its electoral match right by offering realignment of forces opposed to the BJP or strike a strident note by insisting to lead the formation of such an arrangement?

The Congress does have an all-India presence and can bounce back to reclaim the space it vacated. For that to happen, the party will have to offer an alternate vision for the country and its changed polity that compels people to first take note of Congress and consider it as an option.

Kharge can also draw a leaf out of Nijilingappa’s presidency who is credited to build the party after Congress suffered severe losses in the 1967 elections with reduced numbers in the Lok Sabha and loss of eight states. Later, he remained in office when the 1969 split resulted in two formations, the Congress (Requisitionists) led by Indira Gandhi and the Congress (Organisation) comprising the old guard. The climb ahead of Kharge is both steep and difficult.

— KV Prasad is a senior journalist and has earlier worked with The Hindu and The Tribune. Views expressed are personal.

Read his other columns here

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Tharoor capable of attracting aspirational & young voters: Karti Chidambaram

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Over 9,500 congress delegates cast their vote yesterday to elect the party’s first non-Gandhi chief in over two decades.

President Sonia Gandhi would be passing on the mantle to either Mallikarjun Kharge or Shashi Tharoor. The election, which saw a 96 percent turnout, comes at a time when the grand old party’s political fortunes are on the ebb. After unsatisfactory performances in multiple state elections over the years its Lok Sabha tally currently is just at over 50.

Karti Chidambaram, the Congress legislator from Sivaganga, has shown his support for Shashi Tharoor in the party’s presidential campaign.

Speaking to CNBC-TV18, Chidambaram said, “While my preference is Shashi Tharoor, it in no way diminishes the stature or the credibility of Mr. Mallikarjun Kharge — let me make that very, very clear. Why I prefer Dr. Tharoor is, first of all, he is a very articulate speaker in Parliament. He is very sharp in his arguments and he is very erudite and he is a prolific writer. So his opinions, his views are always noticed by everybody.”

He added, “Most importantly, he’s got a huge fan following outside the political firmament of this country, which I think is very essential for a leader.  I have noticed this because I have worked with Dr. Tharoor very closely for nearly three and a half years. I know for a fact that aspirational India looks up to him because he’s an erudite man. Whatever he has achieved is achieved due to his own academic credentials and through his hard work. So India, aspiring India, particularly parents who have young children will really look forward to their children sort of emulating his academic success. I think, aspirational India looks forward to it.”

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Congress President Election highlights: Kharge, Tharoor fates sealed; result on October 19

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Congress members queued up across the country on Monday to elect their first non-Gandhi president in 24 years, choosing between senior leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor in an exercise aimed at putting the party on the path to revival. “I have been waiting for a long time for this day,” Congress chief Sonia Gandhi told reporters after voting at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters here. Over 9,000 Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) delegates form the electoral college to pick the party chief in a secret ballot. The results will be declared on October 19. Voting in the much discussed elections began at 10 am at the AICC headquarters and at polling booths in PCC offices across the country. Voting took place at the AICC headquarters in New Delhi and at over 65 polling booths across the country in an electoral contest that is taking place for the sixth time in the party’s 137-year history. While party chief Sonia Gandhi and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra voted at the AICC headquarters, Rahul Gandhi voted at the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ campsite in Karnataka’s Sanganakallu in Ballari along with around 40 other ‘Bharat Yatris’ who are PCC delegates. Kharge is considered the firm favourite for his perceived proximity to the Gandhis and backing by senior leaders, even as Tharoor has pitched himself as the candidate of change.

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‘Secret ballot’ to mixing — here’s how Congress will elect its president on Oct 17

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The preparations for the Congress presidential election are in full swing and over 9,000 delegates from Pradesh Congress Committees (PCCs) will elect the next party chief on October 17. Senior Congress leaders Shashi Tharoor and Mallikarjun Kharge are in the fray.

The last electoral contest for the top post of the party took place in 2000. In this election, Sonia Gandhi handed a crushing defeat to Jitendra Prasada.

However, this year, with Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra staying out of the party’s presidential poll, it will be the first time in over 22 years that a non-Gandhi would be at the helm of the grand old party.

Election date, timing and result

The elections will take place on October 17 in every state capital from 10 am to 4 pm, the Chairman of the Congress Central Election Authority, Madhusudan Mistry confirmed.

Also read: Congress prez polls: Mallikarjun Kharge has the edge, Shashi Tharoor finds ‘deficiencies’

The ballot boxes will be brought to the AICC headquarters in Delhi on October 19 where the counting will take place on the same day. The ballot boxes will be brought by flight and the party has requested the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) to ensure safe transportation.

On counting day, all the ballot papers from different states would be mixed to ensure no one is aware of which candidate received how many votes from a particular state. The mixing will be carried out in the presence of the authorised agents of the two contenders and the counting will begin after that.

The results of the elections will be announced on October 19 once the counting is over.

Election details

The party is set to hold the polls at 67 booths set up in all the states. A special camp booth will be set up by the CEA for Rahul Gandhi and others who are participating in the Bharat Jodo Yatra.

The CEA chairman also said in AICC, a special booth will be set up for all the senior leaders, working committee members and those delegates belonging to different PCCs but are staying in Delhi.

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Mistry also announced that general secretaries of the All India Congress Committee (AICC), state in-charges, secretaries and joint secretaries will not be allowed to vote in the upcoming presidential election from the states assigned to them, instead they need to cast their votes at booths in their home states or AICC offices.

Secret ballot

The CEA has also announced that the upcoming Congress presidential election will be held by a “secret ballot” and nobody will get to know who voted for whom. This is a part of the CEA’s efforts to conduct a “free and fair election.”

Also read: Former non-Gandhi Congress presidents who were embroiled in controversy

The announcement came days after Shashi Tharoor talked about an “uneven playing field” in the polls.

Responding to Tharoor’s statement Mistry said, the allegations are false and if there is any wrongdoing, the CEA will rectify it, the New Indian Express reported.

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Congress prez polls: Mallikarjun Kharge has the edge, Shashi Tharoor finds ‘deficiencies’

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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On October 17, over 9,100 Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) delegates will cast their vote for the next president of the Indian National Congress. For the first time in 24 years, the president of the grand old party will be someone who doesn’t belong to the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty. The choice given to the delegates is binary – either vote for party veteran and heavyweight Mallikarjun Kharge or vote for Shashi Tharoor, who has been vocal about reforms within the party.

While Kharge in recent days has reiterated his support of involving the Gandhis in key decision-making, Tharoor has again repeated his disappointment over the lack of a level playing field. Kharge stated that the party would be unable to work without the guidance and advice of the Gandhis in a recent interview with the Indian Express.

Tharoor, meanwhile, has complained about the lack of fairness in the election, taking the example of PCC delegates not giving time for meeting with him. Tharoor added that while Madhusudan Mistry, Congress Central Election Authority Chairman, was trying to provide a “fair and free election,” it “is clear that there are some deficiencies in the system.”

Also read: When Sonia Gandhi crushed it — a look at the last Congress presidential polls back in 2000

With voting set to begin after the weekend, most political pundits and experts have already called the poll in favour of Kharge. Being called the “unofficial official” candidate, Kharge is believed to have the support of the Gandhi family for being a loyalist.

Tharoor meanwhile has been facing an uphill battle with party leaders from even his home state of Kerala choosing to support Kharge over him.

Kharge is believed to have widespread support from senior leaders and party workers. At the time of his nomination, over 140 Congress leaders gave their names in support of his candidatures. Those names included many party veterans like A.K. Antony, Ashok Gehlot, Ambika Soni, Mukul Wasnik, Anand Sharma, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Ajay Maken, Bhupinder Hooda, Digvijaya Singh, Tariq Anwar, Manish Tewari, Prithviraj Chavan, Vinit Punia, Salman Khurshid, Akhilesh Prasad Singh, V Narayanasamy, Pramod Tiwari, P.L. Punia and Rajeev Shukla, among others.

On the other hand, despite being a part of the G-23 dissident group, Tharoor has mostly been alone in this presidential election fray. At the time of his nomination filing, Tharoor had the support of around 40 leaders. Even his other G-23 compatriots have chosen to support Kharge over him. Senior leaders who support Tharoor include Mohsina Kidwai, Saifuddin Soz, Sandeep Dikshit, Karti Chidambaram, Pradyut Bordoloi and Mohammad Jawed.

While Tharoor has released a manifesto of changes that he would be implementing if elected, Kharge has only made promises to bring some changes. One of the major transformations that Kharge has been talking about is to reserve 50 percent of the party’s seats for the leaders under the age of 50. Tharoor’s 10-point manifesto includes changes like state party workers choosing CM candidates, decentralisation, a consensus model of decision-making and more.

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

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When Sonia Gandhi crushed it — a look at the last Congress presidential polls back in 2000

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The preparations for the Congress party’s presidential elections are in full swing and the next party chief will be chosen on October 17. Senior Congress leaders Shashi Tharoor and Mallikarjun Kharge are in the fray for the party’s top post. The results of the internal party polls will be announced on October 19. 

The grand old party has seen 17 party chiefs since India’s Independence. The last Congress presidential election was held in 2000.

With the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty still having a firm grip on the party’s leadership, the party is gearing up for presidential polls for the first time in 22 years. On October 19, for the first time since 1998, a non-Gandhi family member would become the party chief.

Also read: Shashi Tharoor — why no one can write off the ace diplomat-politician

After the unceremonious ouster of Sitaram Kesri from the post of the party president in 1998, and the departure of Sharad Pawar, P.A. Sangma and Tariq Anwar, who formed the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in 1999, Sonia Gandhi had stepped in to complete the remaining period of Kesri’s term.

Post Kesri-Sonia, the next Congress president was due to be elected in 2000. Two loyalists from the Indira Gandhi era, Rajesh Pilot and Jitendra Prasada, emerged as top contenders against Sonia Gandhi.

The Congress party was facing monumental challenges at both national and state-level elections under Sonia’s reign as interim president. Many questioned her merits to lead the pre-eminent Indian political party, pointing out her foreign origin and limited political experience at the time.

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Just ahead of the elections, Pilot died in a road accident in June 2000, leaving Prasada as the only contender against Sonia Gandhi for the top post of the party. “I have nothing personally against Sonia Gandhi, but I want recognition from party workers. I’m contesting to uphold the right to dissent and internal democracy,” he had said after announcing his candidature, reported IndiaToday.

Prasada went on a tour of the country to meet with the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) delegates. He could have chosen to leave along with Pawar to the NCP, but he was seen as wanting to encourage reform from within the party. However, as it turned out, his candidature never amounted to much.

In the November 2020 Congress presidential polls, Sonia Gandhi trounced Prasada 7,448 votes to 94. Prasada had alleged that the election was rigged from the very beginning, but he was well aware that he would have lost, even if there was a fair vote. A couple of months later, Prasada died from a cerebral haemorrhage.

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

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Former non-Gandhi Congress presidents who were embroiled in controversy

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The Congress is poised to elect a non-Gandhi for the first time in 25 years as its president in the October 17 election. In the fray are two Congress parliamentarians — the diplomat-turned-politician Shashi Tharoor (66) and the veteran Mallikarjun Kharge (80).

Rahul Gandhi, who was the president of the Congress between 2017 and 2019, resigned from the post following the party’s dismal performance in the 2019 general election. His mother Sonia Gandhi stepped in as the interim president, a post she holds till date.

However, Sonia Gandhi, who was the longest-serving party president from 1998 to 2019, has been reluctant to return to the post due to her health. With her son Rahul Gandhi also not too keen, a non-Gandhi member of the party will be considered for the post.

Another reason to front a non-Gandhi member as the party chief is to counter criticism of the Gandhi family’s stranglehold over the party.

For a long, the Congress party has been criticised for being a Nehru-Gandhi family fiefdom. In the 137 years of its existence, the Congress party has been headed by a member of the Nehru-Gandhi family for over 50 years. Six members of the family — Motilal Nehru, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi – have served as the Congress party president, The Diplomat reported.

ALSO READ: Cong President poll: It’s Kharge vs Tharoor as K N Tripathi’s nomination rejected

Since the independence of the country, other members have also led the party. However, some of them have been embroiled in controversy. One of the landmark departures from the family leadership came in 1991 after the then Congress president Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated while campaigning for his return to power. His wife, Sonia Gandhi, had then refused to join politics despite pressures from Congress loyalists. It was then that a minority Congress government led by PV Narasimha Rao came to power. The following year, Rao was elected as the Congress president. He was the first person outside of the Nehru-Gandhi family to finish the full five-year term as prime minister. However, he was voted out in 1996.

Here’s a look at some of the controversies surrounding the non-Gandhi presidents of Congress.

PV Narsimha Rao

It was Pranab Mukherjee who had suggested PV Narasimha Rao’s name to chair the Congress Working Committee meeting in the absence of the Congress president. Even though he was not a member of the CWC, Rao’s non-controversial nature made him readily acceptable to all groups as the chairperson of the meeting. When Sonia Gandhi refused to lead the party, Rao was accepted as the AICC chief.

However, later several issues led to problems between Sonia Gandhi and Rao. Apart from his alleged unwillingness to stop the Babri Masjid demolition and admiration for BJP leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Rao had challenged the Delhi High Court judgment that quashed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Bofors case against Rajiv Gandhi.

After Rao died in 2014, his body was not allowed to be placed at the Congress headquarters in Delhi for party members to pay their last respects. It was only 10 years after his death and after the BJP came to power that a memorial in Rao’s name was built in Delhi.

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In 2020, when the Congress allowed its Telangana unit to celebrate Rao’s birth centenary, Sonia Gandhi praised Rao’s leadership skills and honoured his contributions, India Today reported.

Sitaram Kesri

Sitaram Kesri rose to power after the unceremonious exit of PV Narasimha Rao in 1996. Although Kesri had won the Congress presidential elections against Sharad Pawar and Rajesh Pilot, the polls were considered a farce within the party. He remained the leader of the party between 1996 and 1998 when two Janata Dal leaders — HD Deve Gowda and IK Gujral – were elected as Prime Ministers of the country.

In 1997, Sonia Gandhi entered politics and announced that she would campaign for the 1998 Lok Sabha polls. After the BJP was elected to power, Kesri, who was seen as keeping the Congress coterie out, was replaced in a mute coup on March 14, 1998.

Kesri was reportedly confined to a place and his nameplate outside his room at 24 Akbar Road Congress headquarters was replaced with a computer printout naming Sonia Gandhi as Congress president, News18 reported.

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At a poll rally in Chhattisgarh in 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the country knew that Kesri, a Dalit leader, was “locked in a bathroom and then, thrown out of the office and on the footpath to facilitate the entry of Sonia Gandhi as the new party chief”, PTI reported.

Two other Congress presidents, who were initially loyalists, parted ways with the party later.

Jagjivan Ram

Jagjivan Ram was Congress President in 1970-71. Following the Emergency, Jagjivan Ram quit the Congress and joined the Janata Party. He served as the Deputy Prime Minister when Morarji Desai was the PM. Commonly regarded as Babuji, Jagjivan Ram later formed his own party, naming it Congress (J). He remained an MP until his death.

Devakanta Barua

Another non-Gandhian Congress president Devakanta Barua, who led the party from 1975 to 1977, parted ways with the party and joined Congress (Urs), which was later named Indian Congress (Socialist).

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Congress releases guidelines for President poll, office-bearers cannot campaign for candidates

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Ahead of its presidential poll, the Congress on Monday issued a set of guidelines for the election, debarring party office-bearers from campaigning for candidates. Those who wish to support any candidate will have to first resign from their organisational post, stated the guidelines issued by the Congress’ central election authority.

Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor are contesting the Congress president election in their personal capacity, the party said, noting that the “delegates are free to elect any one of them, as per their choice, through ballot paper”.

AICC general secretaries/In-charges, secretaries, joint secretaries, Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) presidents, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leaders, heads of frontal organisations, chiefs of departments, cells and all official spokespersons “shall not campaign for or against contesting candidates”, it said.

“If they wish to support any candidate, they must first resign from their organisational post, after that they participate in the campaign process,” it said. The polling for the Congress presidential election will be held on October 17. The counting of votes will be taken up on October 19 and the results will be declared the same day.

More than 9,000 Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) delegates will vote in the poll. The Congress asked all PCC presidents to extend courtesy to the candidates during their visits to the respective states.

The PCC presidents will provide and arrange a meeting hall, chairs and other public announcement equipment for the candidate who wishes to hold the meeting of PCC delegates, it said. “However, no such meeting can be called by the PCC president in their personal capacity,” it warned.

Organising the meeting is the task of the proposer or the supporters of the contesting candidates, it pointed out. During the election, the Congress said, no candidate can use vehicles for bringing voters nor resort to any “undesired pamphleteering” or any other kind of publication propaganda.

“Controverters of these procedures shall render the candidatures election invalid and make them liable for disciplinary action,” the party warned. It said utmost care must be taken to ensure that there is no mala-fide campaign against any candidate.

“The same would bring disgrace to the party. The sensitivity of the election process must be upheld at any cost,” it cautioned. In a tweet, Tharoor said he welcomes the announcement by the party’s chief election authority on the organisation’s presidential election.

In another tweet, he said he has resigned as the chief of Professionals’ Congress. “For those asking: I have already submitted my letter of resignation as head of @ProfCong to the Congress President last month,” he said.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow