Rahul Gandhi meets senior party leaders

Rahul Gandhi today held a meeting with senior Congress leaders to discuss issues related to organisational election that is aimed at making the party fighting fit after a series of poll debacles including in the Lok Sabha.

The meeting was attended by party general secretaries and senior office bearers, besides Mullapalli Ramchandran, head of the Congress Central Election Authority, that has been given the responsibility of conducting the party polls.

Significantly, the meeting was convened just a day ahead of Assembly polls in Delhi.

As per the current schedule, the membership drive of the party is concluding by the end of this month following which the process for organisational elections will be set in motion. The process will culminate with the election of a new party President by the year end.

Today's meeting could make some changes in the schedule.

Organisational weakness has been cited one of the major reasons for the debacle of Congress starting from 2010 Assembly elections in Bihar and followed by Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh in 2012.

It was one of the factors responsible for the abysmal show by the party in last year's Lok Sabha polls, apart from price rise and perception of corruption. Congress tally plummeted to a mere 44 from 206 the previous time.

Gandhi has already said the organisational elections should be utilised to 'reinvigorate and rejuvenate' the party following the poll debacles.