The Hindu : National : Congress Election Committee reconstituted

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Tuesday, Mar 14, 2006

National

National

Congress Election Committee reconstituted

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: Ahead of the forthcoming Assembly elections in five States, Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Monday reconstituted the party's Central Election Committee (CEC), bringing in four new faces while retaining seven existing members. This is the first reconstitution of the CEC since the Lok Sabha election in 2004.

Mrs. Gandhi will head the panel and the new entrants are her political secretary Ahmed Patel, former Union Minister Mohsina Kidwai, Union Minister of State Oscar Fernandes and special invitee to the Congress Working Committee Ashok Ram.

Existing members who have been included in the reconstituted set-up are Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Union Human Resources Development Minister Arjun Singh, former Kerala Chief Minister A. K. Antony, Union Tourism & Culture Minister Ambika Soni, former Union Ministers Margaret Alva and M. L. Fotedar and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Ram Naresh Yadav.

The CEC decides on candidatures based on the recommendations made by State Election Committees. The previous CEC was constituted on January 20, 2004.

Those dropped from the panel are Union Ministers Mahavir Prasad and Sushil Kumar Shinde, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president Prabha Rau, former Union Minister L. P. Sahi and former Lok Sabha member Noor Bano.

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