CWC meet begins to review poll performance

New Delhi, May 20 : A meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the highest policy making body of the party, began here this evening, two days ahead of the Manmohan Singh government completing two years in office.

As many as 30 CWC members, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who rushed to the capital after a day-long tour of Andhra Pradesh, are attending the meeting, the first after the recent assembly elections.

It is being held at the 10 Janpath residence of Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

The main item on the meeting's agenda is a review of the outcome of the recently-held assembly elections in the states of Kerala, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Asom and the Union territory of Pondicherry.

The meeting began with members congratulating Ms Gandhi on her record-breaking margin victory in the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha byelections.

The performance of the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government would also be appraised at the meeting.

The vexed issue of reservation for OBC candidates in central universities and elite institutions would be deliberated in the backdrop of the raging agitation over the issue across the country.

This is the first meeting of the highest policy making body of the party, heading the ruling coalition, since the OBC quota issue took centrestage.

The meeting is expected to formulate the party's stand on the reservation issue following the four-member empowered Group of Ministers's report on the matter Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee and HRD Minister Arjun Singh, who are also the members of the Informal group, are attending the meeting. The CWC is expected to suggest a direction for a comprehensive package in the matter which would be acceptable to all the sides.

With Ms Gandhi herself dropping hints to the effect that she would entrust her son Rahul Gandhi with greater organisational responsibilities, a strong demand for catapulting the young Amethi MP to the centrestage of Congress politics is expected.

UNI