Congress party's organisational polls should not end up in fracas: AK Antony

As the Congress finally kicked off the process to hold its organisational polls in October, senior leader and former Defence Minister AK Antony on Sunday asked his partymen to ensure that the elections should not end up in fracas.

He said this while speaking to reporters at his home here soon after renewing his party membership.

State Congress President MM Hassan along with numerous party workers met Antony and handed him papers of his renewed membership.

"My opinion is that if there is going to be organisational polls, they should not end up in fracas. Whether one needs the poll or not has to be decided upon at the respective levels through consensus. The need of the hour is that new people should come forward and be given an opportunity."

The organisational polls in the Congress will culminate with the election of the Congress President by October 15.

The process was set rolling after the Election Commission gave the party six more months’ time till December to complete its internal elections. 

According to the organisational poll schedule issued by Congress' Central Election Authority chairman Mullapally Ramachandran, the election to the post of Congress president will be held between September 16 and October 15.

Ramachandran has also asked the all district Congress chiefs to end by May 15 their primary membership enrolment drive that started in 2015. He also asked them to publish the list of members by May 30.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi yesterdat inducted two members — Bhubanshwar Kalita and Madhusudhan Mistry into the CEA as members. 

She also constituted a three-member advisory committee that includes MP Shamsher Singh Dullu and former MPs Ask Ali Tak and Biren Singh Engti. 

Kerala Congress polls

The last date for renewal or taking fresh membership in Kerala has been fixed for May 15 and after that, if needed, election will be held for office-bearers, starting from the grassroots.

Last time the Kerala unit of the Congress elected a president through ballot was in 1991 when Antony lost to Vayalar Ravi. It took place when the factional feud in the party reached a crescendo with K. Karunakaran, reigning supreme in the party, backing Ravi.

Since then the office-bearers of the Congress party in Kerala have all been nominated by the party high command.

The two factions in the party till the late '90s were led by Karunakaran, the Antony faction's master brain Oommen Chandy.

Since the turn of the century, with Karunakaran getting old and Antony shifting base to Delhi, Chandy emerged as the strongman in the party, with Ramesh Chennithala coming up in the space left by Karunakaran.

Even though the two Chandy and Chennithala), have been maintaining cordial relations, at times altercations have erupted and none knows better than Antony that if his partymen do not behave, it could be a point of no return.

The Congress party's loss could well be gain for the BJP, which for the first time opened its account in the 140-member Kerala assembly when former Union Minister and senior BJP leader O. Rajagopal won the Nemom seat here.

The coming weeks will reveal how things shape up for the Congress in Kerala, as a new team of office-bearers will take over the party and all what remains to be seen is whether it would be a smooth affair.

'Congress has strength to bounce back'

Antony asserted that the party has the strength to bounce back and said everyone wanted it to lead the battle against communal forces in the country. 

"We have the strength to come back. Earlier also we have faced similar situation (losing in elections)... everybody want Congress to take the leadership in fighting communal forces in the country," the Congress Working Committee member said here. 

Antony, a former Kerala chief minister, said in the present situation there was need to improve the party base and Congressmen should avoid confrontation during the organisational elections. 

He said the main problem faced by the party in the state now was shortage of workers at the grass root level. 

Stating that organisational election should not be viewed as a confrontation, Antony said his wish was that the process should be completed as far as possible on consensus basis. Opportunities should be given to new workers in the party during restructuring, he added. 

(With agencies)