Editing Indian National Congress (section)

== Structure and composition ==
{{See also|List of presidents of the Indian National Congress|All India Congress Committee|Congress Working Committee}}

[[File:Stamp of India - 1985 - Colnect 167209 - Indian National Congress.jpeg|thumb|right|200px|Stamps commemorating centenary of the Congress]]
At present, the [[List of presidents of the Indian National Congress|president]] and the [[All India Congress Committee]] (AICC) are elected by delegates from state and district parties at an annual national conference; in every Indian state and union territory—or ''pradesh''—there is a [[Pradesh Congress Committee]] (PCC),<ref name="Committee">{{cite web |title=President of Pradesh Congress Committee |url=https://www.inc.in/en/pcc-presidents |publisher=INC web portal |access-date=26 May 2020 |archive-date=16 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200416160136/https://www.inc.in/en/pcc-presidents |url-status=dead }}</ref> which is the state-level unit of the party responsible for directing political campaigns at local and state levels, and assisting the campaigns for parliamentary constituencies.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Past And Future of the Indian National Congress |url=http://ramachandraguha.in/archives/the-past-and-future-of-the-indian-national-congresscaravan.html |website=[[The Caravan]] |access-date=6 June 2018 |date=March 2010|via=[[Ramachandra Guha]]}}</ref> Each PCC has a working committee of twenty members, most of whom are appointed by the party president, the leader of the state party, who is chosen by the national president. Those elected as members of the states' legislative assemblies form the Congress Legislature Parties in the various state assemblies; their chairperson is usually the party's nominee for Chief Ministership. The party is also organised into various committees, and sections; it publishes a daily newspaper, the ''[[The National Herald (India)|National Herald]]''.<ref name="Kumar1990">{{cite book|author=Kedar Nath Kumar|title=Political Parties in India, Their Ideology and Organisation|url={{Google books|x3pJ8t4rxIsC|page=PA41|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|date=1 January 1990|publisher=Mittal Publications|isbn=978-81-7099-205-9|pages=41–43}}</ref> Despite being a party with a structure, Congress under Indira Gandhi did not hold any organisational elections after 1972.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Sanghvi|first1=Vijay|title=The Congress Indira to Sonia Gandhi|date=2006|publisher=Kalpaz Publications|location=Delhi|isbn=978-8178353401|page=128|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=npdqD_TXucQC&q=%22internal+democracy%22&pg=PA7|access-date=4 November 2016}}</ref> Nonetheless, in 2004, when the Congress was voted back into power, [[Manmohan Singh]] became the first prime minister not to be the president of the party since establishment of the practice of the president holding both positions.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india-today-insight/story/rahul-gandhi-congress-president-gandhi-chief-1564307-2019-07-08|title=Goodbye, Rahul Gandhi?|website=India Today|agency=Living Media India Limited|date=8 July 2019|last=Deka|first=Kaushik|accessdate=22 May 2021}}</ref>

The AICC is composed of delegates sent from the PCCs.<ref name="Kumar1990" /> The delegates elect Congress committees, including the [[Congress Working Committee]], consisting of senior party leaders and office-bearers. The AICC takes all-important executive and political decisions. Since Indira Gandhi formed Congress&nbsp;(I) in 1978, the [[Congress President|President of the Indian National Congress]] has effectively been the party's national leader, head of the organisation, head of the Working Committee and all chief Congress committees, chief spokesman, and Congress' choice for [[Prime Minister of India]]. Constitutionally, the president is elected by the PCCs and members of the AICC; however, this procedure has often been bypassed by the Working Committee, which has elected its candidate.<ref name="Kumar1990" />
[[File:NSUI National Convention INQUILAB 1.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Congress student wing annual conference| [[National Students' Union of India]] (NSUI) National Convention Inquilab-1 in Jaipur]]
The Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) consists of elected MPs in the Lok Sabha and [[Rajya Sabha]]. There is also a Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader in each state. The CLP consists of all Congress [[Member of the Legislative Assembly (India)|Members of the Legislative Assembly]] (MLAs) in each state. In cases of states where the Congress is single-handedly ruling the government, the CLP leader in the [[chief minister]]. Other directly affiliated groups include:
* [[National Students' Union of India]] (NSUI), the students' wing of the Congress.
* [[Indian Youth Congress]], the party's youth wing.
* [[Indian National Trade Union Congress]], the labour union.
* [[All India Mahila Congress]], its women's division.
* [[Kisan and Khet Mazdoor Congress]], its peasant's wing.
* [[All India Professionals Congress]], its working professionals wing.
* Congress [[Seva Dal]], its voluntary organisation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.politicalbaba.com/election-2014/all-india-2014-results-partywise/|title=All India 2014 Results|website=Political Baba|access-date=26 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150527000402/http://www.politicalbaba.com/election-2014/all-india-2014-results-partywise/|archive-date=27 May 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.firstpost.com/lok-sabha-election-2014/data|title=Lok Sabha Election 2014 Analysis, Infographics, Election 2014 Map, Election 2014 Charts|publisher=Firstpost|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924142920/http://www.firstpost.com/lok-sabha-election-2014/data|archive-date=24 September 2015}}</ref>
* All India Congress Minority Department, also referred to as Minority Congress is the minority wing of the Congress party. It is represented by the ''Pradesh Congress Minority Department'' in all the [[States and union territories of India|states of India]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/congress-minority-cell-opposes-quota-cut-36478|title=Congress minority cell opposes quota cut|website=Tribuneindia News Service|date=5 February 2020|access-date=6 February 2020}}</ref>

=== Election symbols ===
[[File:Cow and Calf INC.svg|thumb|150px|alt= Approved symbol of Indira Gandhi Congress| Election symbol of Congress (R) party during the period 1971–1977]]
{{as of|2021}}, the [[election symbol]] of Congress, as approved by the [[Election Commission of India]], is an image of a right hand with its palm facing front and its fingers pressed together;<ref name=hand>{{cite news|title=A Short History of the Congress Hand|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2012/03/28/a-short-history-of-the-congress-hand/|access-date=27 June 2014|work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|agency=[[Dow Jones & Company]]|publisher=[[News Corp (2013–present)|News Corp]]|date=28 March 2012}}</ref> this is usually shown in the centre of a tricolor flag. The hand symbol was first used by Indira Gandhi when she split from the Congress (R) faction following the 1977 elections and created the New Congress (I).<ref name="hand symbol">{{cite news|title=How Indira's Congress got its hand symbol|url=http://www.ndtv.com/article/lifestyle/how-indira-s-congress-got-its-hand-symbol-74104|access-date=27 June 2014|publisher=[[NDTV]]|date=22 December 2010}}</ref> The hand is symbolic of strength, energy, and unity.

The party under the stewardship of Nehru had the symbol 'Pair of bullocks carrying a yoke' which struck a chord with masses who were predominantly farmers.<ref name=bullocks>{{cite news|title=Indian political party election symbols from 1951|url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/indian-political-party-election-symbols-from-1951-when-congress-had-bullocks-and-the-hand-was-forward-blocs/462504-81.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407090702/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/indian-political-party-election-symbols-from-1951-when-congress-had-bullocks-and-the-hand-was-forward-blocs/462504-81.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 April 2014|access-date=27 June 2014|publisher=CNN-IBN|date=4 April 2014}}</ref> In 1969, due to internal conflicts within the Congress party, Indira Gandhi decided to break out and form a party of her own, with the majority of the Congress party members in support of her in the new party which was named Congress(R). The symbol of Indira's [[Congress&nbsp;(R)]] or Congress (Requisitionists) during the 1971–1977 period was a cow with a suckling calf.<ref name="Electoral Symbol">{{cite news |title=A tale of changing election symbols of Congress, BJP |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/elections/news/a-tale-of-congress-bjp-election-symbols/articleshow/68732103.cms |access-date=26 May 2020 |work=The Times of India |date=5 April 2019}}</ref><ref name="book"/> After losing the support of 76 out of the party's 153 members in the Lok Sabha, Indira's new political outfit the Congress (I) or Congress (Indira) evolved and she opted for the hand (open palm) symbol.

=== Dynasticism ===
Dynasticism is fairly common in many [[List of political parties in India|political parties]] in India, including the Congress party.<ref name="Denyer2014">{{cite book|author=Simon Denyer|title=Rogue Elephant: Harnessing the Power of India's Unruly Democracy|url=https://archive.org/details/rogueelephanthar0000deny|url-access=registration|date=24 June 2014|publisher=Bloomsbury USA|isbn=978-1-62040-608-3|pages=[https://archive.org/details/rogueelephanthar0000deny/page/115 115]–116}}</ref> Six members of the [[Nehru–Gandhi family]] have been presidents of the party.<ref name="Gandhi presidents">{{cite news |last1=Radhakrishnan |first1=Sruthi |title=Presidents of Congress past: A look at the party's presidency since 1947 |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/presidents-of-congress-past-a-look-at-the-partys-presidency-since-1947/article21639174.ece |access-date=26 May 2020 |work=The Hindu |date=14 December 2017}}</ref> The party started being controlled by Indira Gandhi's family during [[The Emergency (India)|the emergency]] with her younger son, Sanjay taking on a prominent role.<ref name="Tarlo2003">{{cite book|author=Emma Tarlo|title=Unsettling Memories: Narratives of the Emergency in Delhi|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3IO1WB2H8UUC&pg=PR5|date=24 July 2003|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-23122-1|pages=27–29}}</ref> This was characterized by servility and sycophancy towards the family which later led to a hereditary succession of Rajiv Gandhi as successor after Indira Gandhi's assassination, as well as the party's selection of Sonia Gandhi as Rajiv's successor after his assassination, which she turned down.<ref name="Bose2013">{{cite book|author=Sumantra Bose|title=Transforming India|url={{Google books|reiwAAAAQBAJ|page=PP8|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|date=16 September 2013|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0-674-72819-6|pages=28–29}}</ref> Since the formation of Congress (I) by Indira Gandhi in 1978 till 2022, the party president has been from her family except for the period between 1991 and 1998. In the last three elections to the Lok Sabha combined, 37 per cent of Congress party MPs had family members precede them in politics.<ref name="Chandra2016">{{cite book|editor1=Kanchan Chandra|editor-link1=Kanchan Chandra|author1=Adam Ziegfeld|title=Democratic Dynasties: State, Party and Family in Contemporary Indian Politics|url={{Google books|tesIDAAAQBAJ|page=PR10|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|date=28 April 2016|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-107-12344-1|page=105}}</ref> However, in recent times there have been calls from within the party to restructure the organization. A group of senior leaders wrote a letter to the party president to reform the Congress allowing others to take charge. There was also visible discontent post the loss in 2019 elections after which a [[G-23 (political group)|group of 23 senior leaders]] wrote to the Congress President to restructure the party.<ref>{{cite web |title=Exclusive: Complete Text of Congress "Letter Bomb" And Its Big Points |url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/exclusive-complete-text-of-congress-letter-bomb-and-its-big-points-2286397 |access-date=2022-03-22 |publisher=NDTV}}</ref>