'Party polls will be over in a few days'

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI DEC. 4. The Congress expects to complete the organisational elections in the next few days. The AICC general secretary, Mr. Ghulam Nabi Azad, today told newsmen here that the process was incomplete in 13 States, and over the next couple of days the party would ensure that it was completed.

Once the process was completed, the CWC, which had now been converted into a steering committee, would meet to decide where an AICC session should be held. Though the party has been toying with the idea of summoning a one-day session to elect the CWC in the middle of November, it has been unable to decide on a date, because some of the States were unable to complete the process in time.

However with the success of the high command in bringing about an amicable settlement in Uttar Pradesh, it would only be a matter of time before the problem in the other States was restored. Like all the 13 States, which were yet to complete the process, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Delhi, Haryana, J&K, Manipur, Goa, Jharkhand, Chhatisgarh, Himachal Pradesh. Tripura had authorised the Congress president to choose persons of her choice to lead their PCC.

Though the Congress president has retained with most of the PCC chiefs she appointed, there is some speculation over the fate of Mr. Hooda in Haryana and Mr. E. V. K. S. Elangovan in Tamil Nadu. A decision either way is expected in the next few days.

There is also speculation in the party over the date of the one- day AICC session. Initially the party was thinking of holding the session on December 16 or 17 in Delhi, but that seems to be a bit difficult now. According to the AICC constitution, a 15-day notice period is normally required to summon a session. The date will finally be decided once the process in completed in the remaining states.

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