The All India Congress Committee (AICC) has initiated a significant overhaul in the selection process for its District Congress Committee (DCC) presidents. A key directive from the party’s high command now prohibits existing DCC presidents from seeking a second consecutive term. These new rules are designed to foster discipline and ensure broader representation within the party, as announced by AICC in-charge for Telangana, Meenakshi Natarajan, and Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president, B. Mahesh Kumar Goud.
Under the fresh mandates, issued by AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge and organization in-charge K.C. Venugopal, aspiring DCC presidents must demonstrate at least five years of continuous and disciplined service to the party. Notably, direct relatives of currently serving public representatives are no longer eligible to apply. The party is also prioritizing leaders from marginalized sections, including Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Backward Classes (BC), minorities, and women, to ensure a more inclusive leadership.
These crucial instructions were communicated during a virtual meeting held on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, with all DCC presidents. Ms. Natarajan and Mr. Mahesh Kumar emphasized that any candidate failing to meet these strict eligibility standards would be promptly disqualified by AICC observers.
Furthermore, the AICC has issued clear guidelines regarding interactions with observers: no private meetings or one-on-one conversations are permitted. District-level meetings must strictly occur at official party offices or public venues accessible to all members, explicitly prohibiting gatherings at private residences or personal offices of local leaders.
This organizational restructuring for DCCs is strategically linked to the Congress’s ongoing ‘vote chori’ (vote theft) campaign. As part of this initiative, every village committee is tasked with collecting at least 100 voter signatures, reinforcing the party’s grassroots engagement and mass contact efforts.
Mr. Goud highlighted that the newly appointed DCC presidents would gain a more substantial organizational role, including invitations as special invitees to the Central Election Committee (CEC) meetings, underscoring their increased importance in party decision-making.
To ensure a fair and transparent selection process, AICC observers, comprising esteemed senior leaders such as former Chief Minister N. Narayanaswamy, former Union Minister C.P. Joshi, along with CWC members, MPs, and MLAs, have already commenced their district-wide tours to personally oversee the candidate selection.