The Congress steering committee unanimously decided to not hold elections to the Congress Working Committee (CWC). It rather authorised party chief Mallikarjun Kharge to nominate all members of the party's highest decision-making body, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said on Friday.

"The committee freely discussed the matter of CWC elections and almost all 45 members present at the meeting unanimously decided to authorise the Congress president to nominate members," he was quoted by PTI as saying. He added that several members expressed their views in favour and against the polls to the CWC.

The Congress steering committee further approved several amendments to the party constitution. Ramesh said one of the amendments is that prime minister and former prime ministers belonging to the party, former party presidents and leaders of the party in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha will be made permanent members of the CWC.

The party will also amend the constitution to provide reservation of up to 50 percent to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, OBCs, women, minorities and the youth in the Congress Working Committee (CWC). Ramesh said the changes were being made to as many as 16 articles and 32 rules.

The amendment to be brought in the party constitution says "among the 23 members of the Congress Working Committee (other than the president of the Congress and the chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary party, the Congress prime minister/former prime ministers, the leaders of the Congress party in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and former presidents of the Congress party), it shall be ensured that 50 percent reservation is given to SCs/STs/OBCs/minorities/youth and women."

The constitution will ensure that there should be 50 percent reservation for those below 50 years of age at all levels from mandal to state. The party will also provide 50 percent reservation to women, SCs, STs, OBCs, minorities and the youth at all bodies of the All India Congress Committee (AICC), PTI reported.

"The party's constitution will stipulate for members to abstain from consuming any psychotropic substances or drugs and work in propagating against the use of such substances," party sources were quoted as saying.

What else will happen during the Congress plenary session?

Ramesh said that a decision on bringing 16 amendments to 32 rules and regulations of the party's constitution will also be taken during the 85th Congress plenary session that began on Friday in Chhattisgarh's Raipur.

The reverse countdown of the NDA government for 2024 has begun with this. The party will emerge stronger after this," Pilot told ANI ahead of the Plenary Session," Congress leader Sachin Pilot was quoted by ANI as saying.

The party is also expected to take key decisions that would lay out a clear roadmap for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The leaders might also finalise the strategy for forging poll tie-ups with like-minded parties to take on the BJP, PTI reported.

When asked about Rahul Gandhi's Prime Ministerial candidature in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Pilot said, "Let the resolutions be adopted, and all the results will come to the fore".

The conclave is being held at a time when Congress faces unprecedented challenges electorally and even to its primacy in the Opposition bloc.

While the Congress hopes to stitch an anti-BJP front for the 2024 polls, having said that it alone has the moral and the organisational power to lead it, clouds of disunity are hovering over it.

The Congress and the TMC have been publicly trading barbs for the last few days and some parties are staying away from the Congress, showing signs of disunity in the opposition ranks.

(With inputs from agencies)

First Published:Feb 24, 2023 2:43 PM IST