Congress to Convene Crucial Meeting Today for Manifesto Approval; Poll Panel Likely to Approve More Candidates

The Congress Working Committee is gathering in the early hours of Tuesday, marking their final meeting before the upcoming general election. Their main agenda is to approve the Congress party manifesto for the upcoming elections. Later in the day, the election committee of the party is expected to finalise the candidate list for the initial phase of the polling, which is set for April 19th.

The CWC meeting, set for 10 am, will primarily focus on approving the Congress manifesto, with discussions anticipated to take up most of the time. Additionally, there's an expected resolution to commend Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, which started on January 14 in Manipur and ended on March 17 in Mumbai.

While there are several urgent matters to address, the committee might find it challenging to cover all topics due to the priority of finalising the manifesto in the Congress poll panel meeting, according to a member who preferred anonymity.

The party's top executive body will also discuss Congress election preparation, including analysing electoral bond data. This discussion may follow the recent release of data by the Election Commission, revealing significant transactions involving these bonds. Notably, 1,260 entities purchased bonds worth ₹12,155.51 crore between April 12, 2019, and February 15, 2024.

Another key focus of the meeting as part of the Congress party agenda is Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, symbolising unity across the nation. Gandhi completed the east-to-west part of this journey, building on the success of last year's Bharat Jodo Yatra.

The party's election panel is set to finalise candidate nominations for the first phase of elections across three Union Territories and 18 states, a critical component of the Congress party's election strategies.

So far, the Congress party has agreed on 82 names during two earlier meetings of their election committee. In this key Congress meeting today, the focus will shift to selecting candidates from states including West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and J&K, among others.