Thaindian News

New Delhi, May 29 (IANS) With the presidential election on the horizon, a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) has been called June 4 to discuss the “current political situation” and the party’s highest decision-making body is also expected to take up issues such as price rise, party sources said.

Congress sources said the meeting was likely to discuss the party’s choice for president in the wake of talks held with the allies so far. The CWC meeting comes days ahead of the notification for presidential polls, expected by the middle of June.

“A meeting of extended CWC has been convened June 4,” a party leader, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told IANS.

Names of Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Vice President Hamid Ansari have been doing the rounds as possible Congress candidates but the party has not indicated its choice so far. Party leaders have also not ruled out the possibility of a dark horse emerging.

There also have been reports about some partymen campaigning to push Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Rashtrapati Bhavan but a senior leader told IANS that such a scenario was unlikely.

Officially, the Congress has refused to comment on a question that the prime minister had thrown his hat in the ring and insisted that the august office of president should not be brought within the realm of speculation.

Congress sources said another round of consultations was likely to be held with allies before the party declares the name of its candidate. The term of President Pratibha Patil ends in July this year.

The CWC meeting is likely to take stock of the party’s performance in the assembly polls in five states earlier this year and its preparations for the assembly polls later this year in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi had set up a panel headed by Defence Minister A.K. Antony to analyse the party’s performance in the polls. The panel has submitted its report.

While the Congress retained Manipur and was able to scrape past the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to form a government in Uttarakhand, it suffered reverses in Punjab and Goa. The party also fared poorly in Uttar Pradesh.

Party sources said the CWC was likely to discuss the political fallout of the recent hike in price of petrol which has rallied political parties against the Congress. The meeting is expected to take stock of the impact of strike calls by opposition parties May 31 against the hike.

With economic parameters, including rising inflation and depreciating value of rupee, causing concern among the common man and threatening to impact the “aam aadmi” plank of the Congress, the CWC meeting is expected to deliberate ways to provide a cushion to people.

Party sources said the political problems in Andhra Pradesh in view of demands for separate state of Telangana and arrest of YSR Congress Party leader Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy in a disproportionate assets case may also come up for discussion.

The sources said the meeting will also discuss ways to reach out to people with the anti-corruption legislative measures and other initiatives of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in the wake of reports that the ruling alliance was lagging behind the opposition in the “battle of perception” among people.

Party chief ministers, state unit presidents, special invitees and permanent invitees are expected to attend the meeting of extended CWC.