QR code to voters’ list: The grand old party scans new ways for Congress’s Presidential Poll of Honour

In its first election for the top post in the Congress after 22 years, grand arrangements have been made.

The last poll for the Congress president was held in 2000, when Sonia Gandhi contested against Jitendra Prasada. The present elections are also being held under pressure, with the G-23 questioning why organisational polls are not being held. Also, Sonia Gandhi wants to retire and with Rahul Gandhi remaining reluctant, the party needs these polls.

A special office has been set up in a corner room at the Congress office. Madhusudan Mistry is the chief election officer and has a team which works around-the-clock to oversee the arrangements.

Gandhi has been presented with a list of 9,000 delegates who will vote for the president. The delegates have been chosen from each block across all states. The number of delegates from each state depends on the size of the state. For example, Uttar Pradesh has 1,000 delegates, who will vote for the president. Under pressure from leaders namely Shashi Tharoor and Manish Tewari, the electoral rolls have been made public for the first time. The reason being is it is difficult for any candidate to know who exactly from each block has been nominated as a PCC delegate who will vote for the polls. According to these leaders, if this list is not made public, a candidate will not know who can nominate them.

The buzzword for these polls is transparency and that’s the message the Gandhis want to send. Many new features have been introduced. The delegates or the voters will be given ID cards which have a QR code. This will help the candidates identify their supporters from among the delegates and accordingly file their nominations.

Incidentally, each candidate who wishes to contest needs the support of 10 delegates before the nomination papers are accepted. But the reason behind the QR-coded ID cards is to end the controversy and criticism of the past, where it was felt that the election process was fudged.

As was the case during the youth Congress polls in Bihar, which had to be shelved amid allegations that voters were all within the family and fudged.

The cards and names of the delegates would be matched and their signatures would be taken. In case of any doubt and discrepancy, the process would be halted. The cards, of course, don’t come free as they cost Rs 100 per card and this is also to ensure that there are no frivolous voters.

The recent crisis in Rajasthan has now cast a shadow over whether the candidates are neutral and do not have their favourites.

Sonia Gandhi, in every meeting, has made it clear that she won’t approve nor disapprove of anyone. But with a search on for another face apart from Gehlot, it becomes clear that the Gandhis would want someone who can be trusted.

In case of more than one contestant, polls will be held on October 17 and the results will be out on October 19.

There are clearly many points which this election wants to prove.