AICC meet begins in Delhi

NEW DELHI - The All India Congress Committee is meeting here today in the shadow of the Adarsh housing scam and the Commonwealth Games mess.

The meeting held at the Talkatora stadium here is the first after party chief Sonia Gandhi’s recent re-election for a record fourth time.

Although it is the first meeting of the AICC during the party’s 125th anniversary, the mood is far from celebratory in the wake of controversies, including the housing scam allegedly involving Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan.

During today’s meeting, election for the Congress Working Committee (CWC) will also be held.

The 1,000-odd AICC members constitute the electoral college for the CWC polls. Of the entire CWC, there is a provision for election of 12 and nomination of 11 members.

The Congress president and also parliamentary party leaders of the party are members of the CWC with the party chief heading the key body.

A move authorising Gandhi to nominate the entire CWC is expected to be made at the meet.

There has been no contest for the CWC since Gandhi took over the reins of the organisation in April 1998.

The last two contests for the CWC were in 1997 at the Kolkata plenary when Sitaram Kesri was the party chief and in April 1992 at the Tirupati plenary when PV Narasimha Rao was at the helm. (ANI)