EC gives 6 months more to Congress to hold organisational polls

The Election Commission has extended till December 31 the June 30 deadline set for the Congress to hold organisational polls.

The EC has allowed the Congress' plea of granting six more months to it to complete the process of organisational polls.

"There will, however, be no further extension beyond December 2017," the EC has told the Congress.

The EC had given an ultimatum to the Congress to complete the organisational polls by June 30.

This means the elevation of Rahul Gandhi as the Congress President would come through by the year-end.

There has been a growing concern among the senior party leadership for initiating organisational changes within the Congress after its drubbing in Uttar Pradesh.

"The Election Commission has allowed our plea for extension of six months in holding organisational elections and has granted time till December this year, against its earlier deadline of June 30," AICC general Secretary Janardan Dwivedi told PTI.

He said the Congress had written to the poll body for granting more time to the party for completing the process of holding organisational polls by six more months as there was very little time left for the same.

Dwivedi had, in his letter, also contended that it was not possible to adhere to the EC deadline as it went against the resolution of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the highest decision-making body of the party as per its Constitution, allowing Sonia Gandhi to continue till December 31, 2017.

The Congress party had also cited practical problems of updating its membership list to have a proper and meaningful election both at the central and state levels.

The Congress party had also raised objections to the EC's jurisdiction in setting a deadline for holding organisational polls.

"On a jurisdictional basis, we do not believe that the Election Commission can kind of fix a date for any political party, not only us," Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi had earlier told reporters.