New Delhi: In a bid to overhaul its party structure, the Congress has started an eight-step process to select its Gujarat district unit chiefs through a pilot project which is meant to empower district committees. These district chiefs will also have a say in the Congress Election Committees (CEC), The Wire has learnt.

Sources in the Congress said that the district chiefs will be chosen by May 31. Last week, the Congress released a list of leaders from the All India Congress Committee (AICC) who will function as observers for the 41 Gujarat District Congress Committees (DCC).

The Wire has learnt from sources that a political affairs committee will be formed in each district, which will include four members from the Pradesh Congress Committees and one from the AICC. The committee will oversee the eight-step selection process of the DCC chiefs.

The observers are expected to spend around two weeks interviewing candidates and speaking to local leaders. The selection committee will also ensure that the candidates from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Caste communities, along with women, are adequately represented. The district presidents will later be called for inputs to the CEC during the selection of candidates, the sources said.

‘Bringing leadership to the districts’

The process of empowering the district committees was announced during the AICC session in Gujarat last week. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge while announcing that “the role of district presidents is going to be important in the formation of the organisation” had said that district presidents would be involved in the candidate selection process.

Leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, who was on a two-day visit to Gujarat from April 15-16 to kick off the pilot project, while addressing party workers on Wednesday also said that the party will measure the performance of leaders at the district level.

“We are bringing leadership to the districts. Those who are actual district leaders and can develop the district, we will make them the district president,” he said.

“Nowadays we don’t measure anyone’s work. How much work they are doing, how much influence they have, how much control they have over their booth, whose booth wins and whose booth loses – we will take all this data. We will start productive competition. To give an example, if we win the elections in Gujarat, the leader of the district which performs best will become a minister. If there is a district, where there are 6 seats and we win only one, even if Gujarat’s biggest leader runs that district, they will not be given a chance. Our point is, don’t talk big. First you 41 people show us that you can strengthen the district. After that block leaders, are they able to run their block? You can be a senior leader in Ahmedabad, but we will ask what is your booth number, how many votes did the booth get. Those who are strengthening the party, we want to strengthen them. Those who are not, will not be taking decisions,” he added.

Gandhi said that district presidents who do not attend meetings, will not become MPs or MLAs.

“We will give opportunities to those who have leadership potential, but we will measure them. It is not that you become the district president and no one is asking you any questions for 5 years. We will find out whether a meeting is being held at the district level. If a person does not come to the district meeting, then he cannot contest the election from the Congress. Because if a leader is not coming to the district meeting, then why will he become an MLA or MP? We want to bridge this gap. Doors will open for the person who works. Doors will slowly close for the person who does not work,” he said.

Gandhi said that the aim is to bring “a new generation in the Congress party”.

“We have to bring a new generation into the Congress party, which is really connected to the people. In this crowd, there are many leaders who are very close to the people. They fight and stand for the people. We have to bring them forward. In this crowd there are many people who are in cahoots with BJP, we have to identify them and get rid of them with love. Not with violence, not with hatred, but with love. We have to tell them, move aside, let others go ahead,” he said.