Cong puts off party polls by 1 year; Sonia to carry on at helm

New Delhi, Sep 8: Sonia Gandhi will continue as the Congress president for up to one year after the party today resolved to push back its internal polls by a year, signalling that Rahul Gandhi is unlikely to take over at its helm in the immediate future.

With a view to bringing in massive changes in the wake of its worst showing in the Lok Sabha polls last year, the resolution passed the Congress Working Committee puts to rest for the moment the speculation that had begun after the Congress Vice President's return from a sabbatical earlier this year that he could be elevated any time this year.

Congress sources said that since the party was required to complete its organisational elections by this year-end, it now has to seek Election Commission's permission for postponing the exercise on the grounds that it needs additional time to bring in key amendments in the party Constitution.

The party will soon be informing the poll body about the decision of the CWC, Congress's apex policy-making body.

Sonia Gandhi has the record of holding the longest tenure as Congress chief. She took over the party in early 1998. Her current term is expiring in December this year.

Upping the reservation for weaker sections -- SC, ST, OBC, minorities and women -- in party posts from 20 to 50 per cent is a key proposal accepted by the CWC with Sonia Gandhi insisting that it was "only through affirmative action that we will guarantee greater say in the working of our party to these sections of society".

Through another amendment, the party has reduced the term of membership from five years to three years. This will necessitate organisational polls every three years and not five as was decided by the party in December, 2010, at their Burari session. The term of all party office-bearers, including that of the Congress President, now stands restored to three years instead of five.

Upon conclusion of the organisational polls, a resolution of the CWC will be adopted at a Congress Plenary after which the changes will be included in the party constitution.

With the Congress vote-share plummeting in the Lok Sabha polls and a number of state elections, Sonia Gandhi told the CWC, "Our priority must be to strengthen our existing support base and actively reach out and win the confidence of new constituents."

Congress also decided to bring in a one-membership system for those joining Congress or its front wings like Youth Congress, NSUI, Seva Dal or Mahila Congress.

It further decided to also revive the concept of active member. A member enrolling at least 25 members will be regarded as an active member and will have a say in inner body polls.

With the party expecting to would have a fresh schedule for organisational polls in the new year, Sonia Gandhi said that as new members are registered "we have to ensure that our internal processes and systems are sufficiently robust to recognise, reward and nurture talent".

A transparent mechanism to recognise and reward hard- working party workers should be institutionalised, she said amidst calls for the infusion of fresh blood into the organisation.

The Congress President said that the amendments passed today will require some time to be implemented but, once done, shall "go a long way towards making our party institutions truly responsive and equip it to face the challenges that lie ahead".

She said that to successfully implement these initiatives, Congress needs to bolster organisational institutions right from the grassroots up.

During the three-hour-long meeting of the party's apex body, former Union ministers P Chidambaram and Anand Sharma made a detailed briefing on the GST Bill amidst renewed efforts by the government to take Congress on board for passing the key reform measure.

NDA plans to roll out the GST from April next year.

Congress, which had earlier decided to press for at least five changes in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill, today said that there were three such issues that were non- negotiable.

There was an indication that the party could soften its stance on GST if the government agreed to some of its proposals and may not refrain from discussions on the measure.