Five Congress MPs Write To AICC Central Election Chief, Express Concern Over Transparency Of Party Prez Poll

Congress leaders Shashi Tharoor, Manish Tewari, Karti Chidambaram, Pradyut Bordoloi, and Abdul Khaleque seek that the list of PCC delegates that make up the electoral college be provided.

New Delhi: Five Congress MPs have written to the central election authority chief of the All India Congress Committee (AICC), Madhusudan Mistry, expressing their concerns about the "transparency and fairness" of the party chief's election. They seek that the list of PCC delegates that make up the electoral college be provided to all electors and potential candidates.

According to news agency PTI, Congress leaders Shashi Tharoor, Manish Tewari, Karti Chidambaram, Pradyut Bordoloi, and Abdul Khaleque, in a joint letter to Mistry dated September 6, sought that this list is made available to verify who is entitled to nominate a candidate and who is entitled to vote.

"In case the CEA (Central Election Authority) has any concerns with respect to releasing the electoral rolls publicly, it must put in place a mechanism to securely share this information with all electors and potential candidates," the letter stated, as quoted by PTI.

The parliamentarians stated that electors and candidates cannot be expected to go to all 28 Pradesh Congress Committees (PCCs) and nine union territorial units across the country to verify the electoral rolls.

They mentioned that as Congress MPs, they are concerned about the transparency of the election process for the president of the party.

"It is unfortunate that an erroneous interpretation is being given to our demand of releasing electoral rolls. We are not suggesting that any internal document of the party should be released in a manner that may give an opportunity to those who wish us ill to misuse the information contained therein," the MPs said.

The Congress leaders stated they are of the firm opinion that the party's CEA must provide a list of PCC delegates that make up the electoral college before the commencement of the nomination process.

According to them, providing the list will remove any unwarranted arbitrariness from the election process.

"As long as this demand is met, our concern about transparency - a sine qua non in any free and fair election - will be met," the letter read, as per PTI.

The letter was sent after the party launched its ambitious 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' from Kanyakumari to Kashmir on Wednesday.

Rahul Gandhi On Congress President Election

Notably, Rahul Gandhi on Friday addressed a press conference in Kanyakumari where he said that he has made his decision on whether he will stand for the party presidency, however, he refused told divulge his plans. He said he will give his reasons if he does not contest the upcoming elections for the post.

When asked whether he would become the Congress president, he said, "Whether I become president or not, this will become very clear when the presidential elections of the Congress party take place." "Wait till that time. When that time happens (comes), you will see. And if I don't stand, you can ask me 'why didn't you stand' and I will answer the question for you," Gandhi told reporters.

Earlier, PTI had cited sources as it reported that Tharoor and Bordoloi had written separate letters to Mistry seeking the publication of the electoral rolls.

Last month, Tewari and Chidambaram had also demanded that the electoral rolls be made public to ensure transparency. Shashi Tharoor is contemplating running for the post of party president.

Mistry has so far maintained that the election is being held transparently and the entire poll process is free and fair.

He had said that according to the party's constitution, the electoral rolls cannot be made public but they can be provided to anyone contesting the election.

(With Agency Inputs)