Congress set to empower grassroot district units-OxBig News Network

The Congress is set to empower its District Congress Committees (DCCs), giving grassroots-level units a say in the Central Election Committee(CEC), which deliberates on selection of candidates for various elections, The Tribune has learnt on Wednesday.

“The selection process for DCC presidents will now involve a rigorous screening mechanism, where the aspirants will be thoroughly interviewed. The selection panel will also take into account gender, caste, and minority criteria before finalising candidates. Only after this thorough process will a name be forwarded to the party president for approval,” people familiar with the matter said.

On empowerment of DCCs in the party, the Congress will now invite them to CEC meetings and take their inputs in selection of the candidates—be it for local body, state, or national elections, sources added.

Additionally, DCCs will also work on the Kerala model, wherein they go door-to-door collecting donations, a source informed.

The pilot project for selection of DCCs for 41 districts of Gujarat has already been started. Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi inaugurated the initiative. The exercise is expected to be complete by May 31.

Rahul held an orientation meeting with the All India Congress Committee (AICC) and Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) observers in Ahmedabad on Tuesday before they embarked the state-wide exercise to select the heads for the district-level units.

Besides, Rahul today kicked off the process at Modasa town in Arvalli district.

The people familiar with the development said it is a five-member committee, comprising one AICC observer and four PCC observers, who will oversee the appointment of new district unit chiefs in each of the 41 districts.

Once the Gujarat phase concludes, the Congress is likely to replicate the model in Madhya Pradesh, followed by Odisha.