New Delhi: For the third time, the Indian National Congress party postponed its Presidential Elections which were being scheduled to be held in June, citing the Covid-19 outbreak as the reason. The Central Election Authority (CEA) of the Congress party had proposed the date of June 23 for voting, while June 7 was being suggested for the last date of nomination, as per the sources.
However, during a discussion in the Congress Working Committee meeting, the majority of the leaders suggested deferring the elections because of the Covid-19 crisis in the country.
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The CWC resolution stated, "In view of the nationwide emergent conditions prevailing on account of unprecedented Corona pandemic, the CWC was unanimous that all our energies should be channelised towards saving every life and helping every Covid affected person."
"CWC, therefore, unanimously resolved to defer the elections temporarily in the midst of these challenging times," it further added. Even Ghulam Nabi Azad, who was one of the chief signatories of the letter written by 23 leaders, also supported the decision.
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When asked if any schedule has been decided for the elections, Congress' Chief Spokesperson and General Secretary Randeep Surjewala informed that the internal elections are only a "temporary deferment".
"It's not going to be open-ended, it's only for 2-3 months. When the situation stabilises, people would be able to come out and line up to vote, elections for the Congress President will be held. Congress party is determined to hold it. It is only because of the emergent conditions, complete lockdown across multiple states, restrictions over movement of people and on the gathering of people that there has been a temporary deferment" he said.
The elections of Congress President were due since Rahul Gandhi submitted his resignation from the post after the party faced a debacle in the 2019 General Elections. The decision to conduct elections for the post of Congress President was being taken after a group of 23 leaders had written a letter to Sonia Gandhi demanding an "organizational overhaul" in Congress. They had also asserted the need for "visible leadership" of the Congress party on the ground.
