By Saiyed Moziz Imam Zaidi

New Delhi, Dec 24 (IANS): The Congress is going to elect a new president in 2022 and the schedule for the next election is out. The Congress election committee is preparing for polls from the block level to the party president and the elections for the working committee, the CWC, which is the highest decision making body of the party.

The Congress leaders are saying that Rahul Gandhi will be the next president of the party as the leaders are unanimous on the name. In the last working committee meeting all the leaders were unanimous on his name while some were quiet but did not oppose his candidature.

The Congress Working Committee members have appealed many times to Rahul Gandhi to take over as the president of the party, but he has been reluctant. Senior Congress leader Ambika Soni said, "all the members were unanimous that Rahul Gandhi should take over as president of the Congress party." The CWC has given the go ahead to the internal elections of the party.

But nobody knows whether Rahul Gandhi is willing to take over as president as he has been refusing to take over after he resigned following the poll debacle in 2019.

The G-23 has been critical of the party leadership for sitting idle and waiting for loss after loss and wanted efforts for the revival of the party. Interim president Sonia Gandhi responding to their calls said that, "The entire organisation wants a revival of the Congress. But this requires unity and keeping the party's interests paramount. Above all, it requires self-control and discipline. I am acutely conscious of the fact that I have been interim Congress President ever since the CWC asked me to return in this capacity in 2019."

The CWC had approved the organisational elections and the schedule has been decided. The enrolment of members for organisational elections on payment of Rs 5 each, started from November 1, 2021 and will end on March 31, 2022.

The District Congress Committees will publish a preliminary list of members together with the list of eligible contestants for participation in the elections. This list will be published before April 15, 2022.

The election of the president and Executive of the Primary Committees and Block Committees, and the election of the Block Presidents and Executive Committees and one member of the PCC by the Block Congress Committee will be held from April 16, 2022 to May 31, 2022.

The election of President, Vice President, Treasurer and Executive Committee of the DCCs will be held from June 1, 2022 to July 20, 2022.

The election of PCC President, Vice President, Treasurer and PCC Executive and AICC Members by the PCC general body will take place from July 21, 2022 to August 20, 2022.

The election of the AICC president will be held from August 21, 2022 to September 20, 2022.

The election of CWC members and other bodies by AICC members during the preliminary session (date to be announced later) will preferably be held in September-October.