Congress to focus on decentralising organisation, eliminating 'internal factionalism': Sources

As part of this strategy, Congress appointed 43 All India Congress Committee (AICC) observers, seven supporting observers, and 183 Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) observers in Gujarat for the pilot phase on April 12 (Saturday). Many senior leaders have been assigned the duty of AICC observers in Gujarat to strengthen the organisation at the grassroots level.

These leaders include-

1. Balasaheb Thorat
2. BK Hariprasad
3. Manickam Tagore
4. Harish Chaudhary
5. Meenakshi Natarajan
6. Vijay Inder Singla
7. Ajay Kumar Lallu
8. Imran Masood
9. Dheeraj Gurjar
10. BV Srinivas

Observers to meet on Apr 15 

The first meeting of these observers is scheduled to be held in Gujarat on April 15 (Tuesday). The formation of this committee aims to end internal factionalism within the party and empower district presidents through the decentralisation of the organisation. So far, due to factionalism within the Congress party, district presidents have often been appointed by state presidents or their close associates. As a result, these district leaders have tended to work in the interest of specific leaders or groups rather than the party as a whole. For example, in a state like Haryana, the Congress has been unable to form a unified state unit for nearly a decade due to ongoing infighting.

'District First, Then State' approach in organisation building

Under this new initiative, Congress is focusing on decentralising its organisation and eliminating internal factionalism. The process is being launched as a pilot project in Gujarat. Each AICC observer will be assigned a district, supported by four state-level observers. These state observers will operate at the block level to discuss and identify suitable candidates for the post of district president under the supervision of the AICC observer. Based on grassroots-level feedback, a report will be submitted to the Congress high command, which will then appoint the district president through the central organisation.

According to party sources, Congress is also considering giving district presidents a greater role in candidate selection for elections. In addition to the state-level screening committee, district presidents may be included in the Central Election Committee (CEC) of the party. This would make Gujarat the first state where district presidents play a key role in finalising candidates for assembly elections, and their feedback will carry significant weight in ticket distribution.