Those intending to file papers for party president’s election can see electoral college list: Congress | India News
NEW DELHI: Congress Saturday said any member intending to file nomination for the upcoming party president’s election will be able to see the entire list of 9,000-plus delegates, who form the electoral college, in the election office at the AICC headquarters. It, however, added the voters’ list will be provided only to the members who file the papers to contest the polls, and will not be released publicly.
The response from the chairman of the AICC central election authority, Madhusudan Mistry, puts an end to the demands for the release of the voters’ list, despite repeated reminders that it has never been the norm in the internal polls.
Mistry was replying to a letter from five Congress MPs — Shashi Tharoor, Manish Tewari, Pradyot Bordoloi, Abdul Khaleque and Karti Chidambaram – who had argued that the need to ensure transparency in the party polls required that the voters’ list be made public.
While the MPs had been persistent in their call, made through statements and tweets as also letters, they tamely approved Mistry’s arguments by expressing satisfaction and signalling it was the end of the debate on the issue.
Mistry said an election aspirant could obtain the names of 10 delegates as proposers for their respective state Congress offices, while those intending to pick proposers from different states could see the all-India list at the AICC office. He said once a member filed the nomination, he would be given the entire list. The date for filing nomination is September 24-30.
“This should resolve the anxiety of anybody about the process of filing their nominations without knowing the names of the delegates,” Mistry wrote.
Following this, Tharoor tweeted, “I am pleased that this clarification has come in the form of his constructive reply to our letter. In the wake of these assurances, I am satisfied. Many will be glad to move on with an election process that, in my view, will only strengthen the party.” Chidambaram endorsed Tharoor’s sentiments.
Mistry added that QR-based identity cards have been issued to all delegates, and only those with these cards can sign the nomination papers.
The response from the chairman of the AICC central election authority, Madhusudan Mistry, puts an end to the demands for the release of the voters’ list, despite repeated reminders that it has never been the norm in the internal polls.
Mistry was replying to a letter from five Congress MPs — Shashi Tharoor, Manish Tewari, Pradyot Bordoloi, Abdul Khaleque and Karti Chidambaram – who had argued that the need to ensure transparency in the party polls required that the voters’ list be made public.
While the MPs had been persistent in their call, made through statements and tweets as also letters, they tamely approved Mistry’s arguments by expressing satisfaction and signalling it was the end of the debate on the issue.
Mistry said an election aspirant could obtain the names of 10 delegates as proposers for their respective state Congress offices, while those intending to pick proposers from different states could see the all-India list at the AICC office. He said once a member filed the nomination, he would be given the entire list. The date for filing nomination is September 24-30.
“This should resolve the anxiety of anybody about the process of filing their nominations without knowing the names of the delegates,” Mistry wrote.
Following this, Tharoor tweeted, “I am pleased that this clarification has come in the form of his constructive reply to our letter. In the wake of these assurances, I am satisfied. Many will be glad to move on with an election process that, in my view, will only strengthen the party.” Chidambaram endorsed Tharoor’s sentiments.
Mistry added that QR-based identity cards have been issued to all delegates, and only those with these cards can sign the nomination papers.
