Rahul seeks a new way to pick candidates

Feb 11, 2013

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New Delhi: State Congress units might soon discontinue the practice of passing one-line resolutions authorising the party high command to decide poll candidates.
The party’s vice-president, Rahul Gandhi, is against this, and wants district and state units to play a bigger role in shortlisting nominees and then making sure they win.
The matter was discussed at the party’s ‘Chintan Shivir’ in Jaipur last month. The party line will get clearer after Gandhi holds a day-long
meeting with state PCC chiefs and CLP leaders in New Delhi on Friday.The selection of candidates has always been a crucial exercise for the Congress whether it is in power or is in Opposition. The candidates are chosen
on the basis of their castes and resources (funds they can mobilise). This is said to constitute “elective merit”. But imposing candidates makes local
units either passive or even work against party interests. This was found to be a key factor behind defeats in recent Assembly polls.
Distribution of tickets on Rahul meet agenda
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, who has called the meeting of PCC presidents and CLP leaders on Friday, could ask for elaborate procedures to make ticket distribution a foolproof affair. This will be his first meeting with the state leaders after his elevation as vice-president.
Consultations by Gandhi are expected to be a day-long affair at a time when party men have been increasingly voicing concern over the ticket distribution process.

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