Kharge Forms 47-Member Interim Panel to Replace CWC, Most Leaders Retained
The Wire Staff
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New Delhi: New Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday set up a 47-member Steering Committee that includes former prime minister Manmohan Singh and the party's ex-presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.
The interim panel headed by him would take the place of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party's apex decision-making body, till a new panel is formed after Kharge's election is ratified at the party plenary.
Most of the members of the last CWC have been retained in the committee, which was announced hours after Kharge formally took over as the new party Congress president.
All CWC members and office bearers of the party tendered their resignations to the new party chief to enable him to choose his own team.
According to a communication from the AICC general secretary (organisation), the committee members include senior party leaders Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, A.K. Antony, Ambika Soni, Anand Sharma, K.C. Venugopal, Randeep Surjewala and Digvijaya Singh.
"As per Article XV (b) of the Constitution of the Indian National Congress, the Congress president has constituted the Steering Committee which would function in place of the Congress Working Committee," Venugopal said in the order.
The CWC is the highest decision-making body of the Congress and the Steering Committee will now take all decisions till the ratification of Kharge's election at the party's plenary session attended by all PCC delegates. The session is likely to be held in March next year.
After taking over as president, Kharge said that the party will have to perform well in the upcoming assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat, for which the energies and strength of every worker would be needed. He declared that the Congress will "demolish" the BJP government’s “system of lies, treachery and hatred”.
Adding a personal, emotive note as he was handed the certificate of election to the top post, he said in Hindi, “It is an emotional moment for me and I would like to thank Congress people for making a worker’s son and an ordinary worker president of the party.”
(With PTI inputs)
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