The Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Friday issued a resolution alleging that the integrity of India’s electoral process is under severe threat. The party announced plans to launch a national movement to address these concerns, calling free and fair elections a “Constitutional mandate” compromised by the “partisan functioning of the Election Commission.”
The meeting, held during the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament, said that the session has been largely unproductive due to the Modi government’s “stubborn refusal” to discuss critical national issues. These include “the recent revelations regarding corruption by a business group, and the violence in Manipur and Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal”.
Here are the key resolutions adopted by CWC:
- CWC reiterates its firmest commitment to letter and spirit of Places of Worship Act, 1991, being ‘violated brazenly by BJP’
- The CWC also accepts that the party’s performance, as indeed that of its MVA allies, in Maharashtra has been inexplicable and is, in fact, shocking. The electoral outcome is beyond normal understanding. It appears to be a clear case of targeted manipulation.
- The CWC believes the integrity of the entire electoral process is being severely compromised. Free and fair elections is a Constitutional mandate that is being called into serious question by the partisan functioning of the Election Commission.
- Increasing sections of society are becoming apprehensive of the electoral process; Congress to take these public concerns as a national movement.
- The party must keep reinforcing its narrative. This includes caste census to ensure full social justice, removal of the 50% ceiling on reservations for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and OBCs, control of growing monopolies in the economy through political patronage and continuing price rise and growing unemployment.
Congress urged party members to remain ‘resilient’ despite setbacks in the recent elections and highlighted that public concerns about the electoral process and governance failures would be central to the party’s forthcoming national movement.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, during the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, addressed the party’s “below-expectation” performance in the Maharashtra and Haryana elections and questioned the dependence on the national leaders and issues and called on the party workers to focus on local issues.
He also urged the party to focus on localised concerns and prepare detailed strategies tailored to each state. He also stressed that election preparations should begin at least a year in advance.