As funds dry up, Congress sends SOS to states

NEW DELHI: The post-2014 political marginalisation of Congress seems to have come to a head with the party hitting a serious financial crunch and sending out SOS messages to its strongholds to tide over the crisis.


Financial support is learnt to have been a key subject of discussion in the meetings held by the AICC with select state units. Top party managers met with Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Punjab leaders separately last month. They included all the ministers in these state governments and some organisational members. It is now learnt that a

big part

of the interactions was finance.

Congress may ask its elected representatives for money

While it was generally believed that the meetings focussed on organisational matters such as nomination of state presidents, it is now learnt that a big part of the interactions was finance. The participants were briefed about the fund situation and asked to take ownership of party finances. Organisational issues were also discussed.

Of immediate concern for Congress is the upcoming assembly elections in Kerala, Assam,

West Bengal

, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. A senior office bearer said the current batch of polls is bound to test the party’s management strength, which has necessitated the calls to state members for help. At the same time, the new Congress headquarters in the capital is another subject playing on the party’s mind. The office building is under construction for sometime now.

Fund mobilisation has become tough for the party since its ouster from office post-UPA which has been followed by a steady erosion in its political muscle nationally in contrast to BJP’s rapid rise across states. It is an established fact that ability to generate political funding from private donors depends largely on a party’s political strength and resilience. Congress, it is learnt, also plans to ask its elected representatives across India for contributions.