District presidents will hold a key seat during Central Election Committee meetings to decide candidates.
NEW DELHI: The Congress party, battered by constant electoral setbacks, is finally making bold moves to revamp its strategy and regain lost ground. In a dramatic shift, the party has decided to empower district presidents with unprecedented authority in candidate selection for Lok Sabha and Assembly elections—a game-changing move that could redefine Congress’s internal power dynamics.
District presidents will now hold a key seat at the table during
Priyanka Gandhi is leading this charge from the front. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge had earlier formed a high-level committee to address the party’s growing structural weaknesses after successive election defeats. Priyanka was a key member of this committee. After reviewing the committee’s findings, the leadership has broadly agreed that fixing the candidate selection process at the district level is the first critical step toward strengthening the party’s foundation.
The final decision will be made at the crucial AICC meeting in Ahmedabad next month. But before that, the stage is set for a major gathering of district presidents from across the country in Delhi on March 27, 28, and April 3. These brainstorming sessions will shape the party’s future strategy and the outcomes will be presented at the AICC meeting for final approval.
Congress has made similar promises in the past—like the 2022 Udaipur declaration—but they have rarely materialized. For instance, a resolution requiring officials holding positions for over five years to step down (and remain ineligible for new roles for three years) was never enforced. Many officials have remained in power for years, contributing to the party’s stagnation.
But this time, the strategy appears different—because Priyanka Gandhi could be stepping into a pivotal new role. Sources reveal that Congress is considering creating the position of President of the Central Election Management Committee—a long-delayed proposal from the Udaipur declaration. This powerful position would place Priyanka at the heart of Congress’s electoral machinery, giving her direct control over state-level election decisions before they reach the Congress President for final approval.
If this happens, it would place Priyanka on par with the Organization General Secretary (currently held by KC Venugopal), giving her significant authority over election strategy and execution. Rahul Gandhi has so far resisted creating a Vice President position, and he is not keen on replacing Venugopal.