Congress Steering Committee to decide on February 24 on CWC polls

New Delhi: The members of the Congress Steering Committee would meet on February 24 at Raipur in Chhattisgarh to decide on whether there should be elections to the CWC, the party's top decision-making body.

There have been demands from within the party, especially by the dissident voices, to have elections for the Congress Working Committee, but the convention has been to authorise the Congress president to nominate the members to the party's apex body.

Sources said the party's steering committee which is presently working in place of the CWC would meet on the morning of February 24 after which the party's subjects committee will meet to decide on the topics to be taken up during the party's 85th plenary session.

According to the Congress Constitution, "The Working Committee shall consist of the President of the Congress, the Leader of the Congress Party in Parliament and 23 other members of whom 12 members will be elected by the AICC, as per rules prescribed by the Working Committee and the rest shall be appointed by the President." The plenary session is being held to ratify Mallikarjun Kharge's election as Congress president, and the leaders would meet in Raipur to brainstorm the party's strategy going forward.

Senior party functionaries and leaders would meet on February 25 and 26 to discuss various issues including the state of the economy, the current political situation and the party's strategy for the 2024 general elections.

Several top leaders will address the open gathering of leaders during the conclave and the party will later come out with resolutions on different subjects.