The Congress on Wednesday set up a three-member fact-finding committee to evaluate the party’s performance in the recently concluded Gujarat assembly elections and suggest corrective measures.
The committee will be chaired by former Maharashtra minister Nitin Raut, who also heads the party’s SC department. The panel has been asked to submit its report to the party within two weeks.
The other members of the committee are Shakeel Ahmad Khan and Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka, an official communication from the party said.
The party has set up several such panels in the past to assess the party’s poll debacle in several states but none of the reports have been discussed within the party forums, Congress leaders maintained.
The formation of the committee comes in the wake of the Congress’ worst-ever performance in the Gujarat assembly polls where it won only 17 seats out of total 182 assembly constituencies.
“The Congress president has constituted a fact-finding committee to evaluate the results of the recently concluded assembly elections in Gujarat and suggest measures to be taken, with immediate effect,” it said.
“The committee will submit a report to Hon’ble Congress president within two weeks,” All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary KC Venugopal said in the communication.
Many in the party, however, feel that reports of such committees are gathering dust in the party and the recommendations have not been implemented.
Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi had set up a committee headed by former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan after the party’s poll debacle in Assam and Kerala and some other states, but the recommendations were not discussed at the party forum.
Veteran party leader A K Antony has in the past headed several such committees on fact facing the party’s performance in the past, but senior leaders point out that none of them have seen any of Antony’s reports and wondered where they are.
The Congress performed poorly in the Gujarat assembly elections getting a vote share of 27.28 per cent. In the 2017 assembly polls in Gujarat, the party had won 77 seats.
With inputs from News18
