New Delhi/Belagavi: In 2025, the Congress will implement the ‘Udaipur Declaration’, which seeks to debar its leaders from holding an organisational position for more than five years among other proposals, party president Mallikarjun Kharge announced Thursday.
The meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), which is the highest decision making body of the Congress, is being held to commemorate the centenary of Mahatma Gandhi presiding over the party’s Belgaum (as Belagavi was previously known) session as its president.
In his remarks at the Belagavi session of the CWC, Kharge said the year 2025 will be marked by a series of efforts to strengthen the Congress’s organisation. Apart from implementing the Udaipur Declaration—adopted by the CWC during a three-day Nav Sankalp Shivir held between 14 and 16 May 2022 in Rajasthan—all vacant organisation posts will also be filled up, he said.
“We will fill all the vacant posts in the organisation. We will implement the Udaipur Declaration completely. We will equip our organisation, right from the level of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) to booths, with the necessary skills to win elections,” Kharge said.
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His announcement is significant as implementing the Udaipur Declaration would mean the replacement of AICC general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal, who enjoys a great rapport with Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi.
The Kerala leader has been holding the influential post for about six years now. He also heads the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, too, has been an AICC general secretary for five years, and Rajya Sabha MP Mukul Wasnik for over 10 years.
Among the other resolutions adopted by the Congress as part of the Udaipur Declaration was enforcing the policy of ‘one person, one post’, which, if implemented, would have an impact on Kharge too. Apart from being the party president, Kharge also serves as the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha.
Meanwhile, according to Congress insiders, Rahul at the meeting raised questions on the results of the Maharashtra elections and termed the role of the Election Commission as suspicious.
“There was a big change in the voters list. 72 lakh voters were added after the Lok Sabha elections 2024, in 118 seats of Maharashtra, out of which BJP won 102. It makes it clear that there is something wrong, somewhere,” Rahul reportedly said.
In his speech, Kharge also voiced similar apprehensions. “They want to capture all Constitutional bodies. Take the Election Commission for instance…The worrying part is that people’s faith in the electoral process is gradually getting eroded and questions are being raised on the Election Commission. They amended the Conduct of Election Rules. What are they trying to hide?” he said.
The Congress, Kharge said, must get “ideologically committed” people to join the party, adding that apart from hard work, “time-bound concrete strategy and direction” and “local and new leadership” were necessary for the party’s revival.
Even in the last CWC meeting held 29 November, Kharge had called for “harsh decisions” in light of its recent electoral setbacks in Haryana and Maharashtra despite having the momentum in its favour.
Kharge had then underlined that favourable mood “does not guarantee victory”. “What is the reason why we are not able to take advantage of the mood? We have to be alert and cautious day and night, from the stage of preparation of the voter list to the counting of votes,” he said.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
Also Read: What happened to ‘1 person, 1 post’? Why Congress’s Udaipur Declaration is in limbo 2 years on
