Congress panel submits report to Sonia Gandhi on election debacle

A five-member Congress Committee has submitted an initial report to Sonia Gandhi in which they have stated their assessment of the party's performance in the recently concluded assembly polls.

New Delhi: A five-member Congress Committee has submitted an initial report to the Interim President Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday in which they have stated their assessment of the party's performance in the recently concluded assembly elections.

According to sources, the Committee has given recommendations and suggestions to rebuild the Congress Party in Assam, Kerala, West Bengal, and Puducherry where it has faced defeat.

Former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan is the head of the committee while Manish Tiwari, Vincent Pala, Salman Khurshid and S Jothimani are its members. According to sources, the Committee has submitted the report on the party's performance in Kerala, Assam and Puducherry and that the assessment for West Bengal is underway.

The report of the Committee is important as it has been set up after the discussion at the meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC). Sonia Gandhi, during the meeting of CWC last month, said that the group would look at every aspect of recent electoral reverses and come back with its findings. "These will yield uncomfortable lessons, but if we do not face up to the reality, if we do not look the facts in the face, we will not draw the right lessons," she had said.

The report can be the basis for the organisational changes in the party. Kerala has the most number of MPs from Congress, but the party did not succeed in changing the Left regime in the state, while Assam had anti-incumbency but still ruling BJP Government retained the power. Puducherry lost due to infighting and the pre-poll jolt of a senior leader leaving the party ahead of Assembly Elections.

(ANI)