Youth Cong polls get a ‘pictorial’ problem

The Central election authority of the party has made it mandatory to furnish names and photographs of all the 15 members before the booth committee is recognised. Since,booth-level elections of the Congress are taking place for the first time in the state,the deadline has been extended twice to ensure that all the required information is in place. Even as the latest deadlines came to an end on Wednesday (July 28),sources within the Congress said that over 40 per cent of the booths have been unable to provide the information. “We have given them enough time,and now we will have to proceed ahead otherwise the entire election,which has already been delayed for about 15 days,would be delayed further,” said J D Seelam,Rajya Sabha member from Andhra Pradesh who is also Additional State Returning Officer for Congress organisational elections in UP.

There are about 1.5 lakh booths in the state and Congress election authority is aiming to achieve information from at at least 60 per cent of the booths. “We have called a meeting for UP organisational polls in New Delhi on August 2 and all those committees,which will fail to provide the required information before that date would not be considered as booth committee,” said Seelam.

The grassroots workers,however,blame it on miscommunication. “At first,we thought that we have to provide photographs of only booth president,vice-president and the treasurer,who are the elected representatives. However,it was only in the middle of election when we were told that the photograph of every booth member is required,” said a booth president in Sitapur district.

“We had a hard time,collecting their photographs during membership drive,which was pasted on the photo ID cards. It is difficult to convince them for a photograph for the second time,” he added. A senior party leader,meanwhile,said that if more than 50 per cent of such booth committees fail to furnish the photographs,some concession could be given. The party’s election body is planning to conduct poll for the post of district and city president on August 8 and 9.