Congress President Sonia Gandhi with party leader Rahul Gandhi during the Congress Working Committee meeting, at the AICC headquarters, in New Delhi. (PTI)
The “one family, one ticket” proposal for the Congress leaders, which is being discussed with much fanfare by the party’s top leadership at its Chintan Shivir in Rajasthan’s Udaipur, will not impact most of senior party leaders, let alone Gandhis, if it is cleared.
The proposed rule’s caveat that those sons, daughters and other relatives of the Congress leaders who aspire to contest elections should have worked for the party for at least five years will in effect give an exemption from it to most of the leaders and their wards, who are MPs or MLAs, or have already been in public life.
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For instance, both Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son and ex-party president Rahul Gandhi can contest the coming Lok Sabha elections. The Nehru-Gandhi family’s third member in public life, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, would also be eligible to contest the Lok Sabha polls, slated for April-May 2024, if she wishes, given that by 2024 she would have worked for the party for five years. She became an All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary in January 2019.
Congress leader P. Chidambaram and Karti Chidambaram in New Delhi. (Express Photo by Anil Sharma)
The “one family, one ticket” rule will thus affect only those Congress leaders who want to launch their wards or relatives directly into the hustings. Rahul, for instance, had himself made his debut straightaway as a Lok Sabha candidate of the party from Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi in the 2004 general elections. That straight poll route will now be closed.
Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge and his wife with son Priyank Kharge at Raj bhavan in Bengaluru. (PTI)
Take the cases of other party leaders whose wards are also in politics but will not be affected by the rule.
Among the Congress Working Committee (CWC) members, Digvijaya Singh is a Rajya Sabha MP while his son Jaivardhan Singh is an MLA in Madhya Pradesh. A K Antony’s son Anil has been working with the digital communications department in the party’s Kerala unit for some time. Mallikarjun Kharge’s son Priyank Kharge is an MLA and ex-minister. Harish Rawat’s son Anand Rawat is a former Uttarakhand Youth Congress president. P Chidambaram’s son Karti Chidambaram is a Lok Sabha MP.
Digvijay Singh poses for picture with his newly graduated son Jaivardhan Singh and daughters at Columbia University in New York. (PTI/Archive)
AICC in-charge of Chhattisgarh, P L Punia’s son Tanuj has been active as the working president of the UP Congress central zone’s SC department. He had contested the 2017 and 2022 Assembly polls and the 2019 Lok Sabha election. Pramod Tewari’s daughter Aradhana Misra is a two-time MLA. Salman Khurshid and his wife Louise Khurshid have been in public life and contesting elections for decades. Former Lok Sabha MP Meira Kumar’s son Anshul Avijit became a Congress spokesperson in September 2019.
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Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s son Deepender Hooda has been in public life for close to two decades. He became a Lok Sabha MP in 2005 and is currently a Rajya Sabha member. Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath’s son Nakul Nath is already a Lok Sabha MP. Sushil Kumar Shinde’s daughter Pariniti has been an MLA since 2009.
Manoj C G currently serves as the Chief of National Political Bureau at The Indian Express. A veteran journalist with a career spanning nearly two decades, he plays a pivotal role in shaping the publication's coverage of India's political landscape.
Experience & Career: Manoj has built a robust career in political journalism, marked by a transition from wire service reporting to in-depth newspaper analysis.
The Indian Express (2008 – Present): He joined the organization in 2008 and has risen to lead the National Political Bureau, overseeing key political coverage.
Press Trust of India (PTI): Prior to his tenure at The Indian Express, Manoj worked with India’s premier news agency, PTI, honing his skills in breaking news and accurate reporting.
Expertise & Focus Areas: As a seasoned political observer, Manoj focuses on the nuances of governance and party dynamics.
National Politics: extensive reporting on the central government, parliamentary affairs, and national elections.
Political Strategy: Deep analysis of party structures, coalition politics, and the shifting ideologies within the Indian political spectrum.
Bureau Leadership: directing a team of reporters to cover the most critical developments in the nation's capital.
Authoritativeness & Trust: Manoj’s authoritativeness is grounded in his nearly 20 years of field experience and his leadership role at a legacy newspaper. His long-standing association with The Indian Express underscores a reputation for consistency, editorial integrity, and rigorous reporting standards required of a Bureau Chief.
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