Congmen make a dash for AICC’s Hyderabad meet

With every train and flight to Hyderabad booked, AICC delegates are being offered benami tickets around the party headquarters. Anticipating...

With every train and flight to Hyderabad booked, AICC delegates are being offered benami tickets around the party headquarters. Anticipating the last minute rush, hangers on at the AICC office booked tickets in bulk and are now offering them to leaders.

A leader from Bihar, who could not get a ticket but was offered one by an enterprising 24 Akbar Road staffer, said there was no monetary premium to it and that it was merely a strategy to oblige a leader.

Anybody who is someone in the party is expected to be in Hyderabad for the session that will celebrate the party’s return to power after nearly a decade. And the party is happily accepting all gate-crashers.

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In violation of the party constitution, the Congress has “co-opted” more members to the AICC than elected ones. The party statute says 15 per cent of the elected strength can be co-opted, but it is set to cross 100 per cent, making the election to AICC irrelevant.

Although party spokesperson Anand Sharma said 743 members have been co-opted to the AICC along with the 1,243 elected members, the numbers are likely to swell by tomorrow.

With PCC delegates and ex-officio members, it adds up to nearly 12,000 people. Food will be prepared for 15,000 people at the Rajiv Nagar, 22 km off Hyderabad. Congress president Sonia Gandhi will address the session twice in two days.

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