Congress 85th National Convention: Speculation Over CWC Elections and Proposal to Make Rahul Gandhi and Manmohan Singh Lifelong Members

Dispatch News.
The Congress is holding its 85th National Convention in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, and there is speculation that the Congress Working Committee (CWC) elections may take place for the first time since 1997. The party is considering a proposal to make former President Rahul Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh ex-officio members of the CWC for life through a constitutional amendment.
Currently, the CWC can have 25 members, including the chairperson and the parliamentary party leader. There are 23 members, with 12 elected by the All India Congress Committee and 11 nominated by the party president, not including the chairman and leader.
A proposal has been made to the Constitution Amendment Committee that leaders like Rahul Gandhi and Manmohan Singh should be considered ex-officio members. Whether the proposal gets accepted will be decided during the session in Raipur.
Priyanka Gandhi may contest the CWC elections against the Gandhi family. Other veteran leaders include Bhupendra Singh Hooda, Kamal Nath, Jairam Ramesh, Tariq Anwar, Ambika Soni, Digvijay Singh, Meera Singh, Pawan Bansal, Siddaramaiah, Ramesh Cheninthela, Oommen Chandy, Mani Shankar Iyer, Salman Khurshid, and Kumari Selja, as well as members of the G-23 group such as Shashi Tharoor, Manish Tiwari, Anand Sharma, and Prithviraj Chavan. Sachin Pilot, Deepender Hooda, Jitendra Singh, and Randeep Singh Surjewala are also considered leaders.
The party constitution states that Sonia Gandhi, chairperson of the parliamentary party, and Millikarjun Kharge, party president, are automatically included in the CWC. The session in Raipur will determine the outcome of the CWC elections and the fate of the party’s leaders.