NGO to audit Youth Congress poll process

BHUBANESWAR: The Foundation for Advanced Management of Elections (FAME) has been requested to independently audit the membership and election process of the Indian Youth Congress which is in progress now in Orissa. Pradesh returning officer (PRO) for Orissa, Peer Irshad Ahmed Nasir said here on Sunday that Rahul Gandhi, general secretary of the All India Congress Committee (AICC), has requested FAME, a non-government organisation (NGO) founded by former chief election commissioner JM Lyngdoh to audit the membership to ensure fairness in the election process. FAME has also been asked to ensure that the election is impartial and open to participation for all. Nasir told this paper that 3.20 lakh Youth Congress members were enrolled in Orissa out of which the membership of more than 20,000 has been rejected for different reasons. He said the membership of 2,98,094 has been accepted. Nasir said that chances for correction of the rejected membership will be given. Nasir advised the Youth Congress members to direct any complaint about the election process and membership drive to FAME. After completion of the membership drive in the State, the process for scrutiny of voter list will be started for the organisational polls. He said that members can refer to the copy of the voter list at www.iyc.in/Odisha or at the district Congress committee office. Nasir said the Lok Sabha returning officer (LRO) will tour the Lok Sabha constituency and spend a day in each of the Assembly constituencies. Members may approach him to check their names on the list. The LRO will also accept corrections to the list if a member has been placed in the wrong booth or Assembly. The names may also be missing if the membership form was wrongly filled up or some of the information sought in the form has not been furnished, he said. Nasir said that correction of rejected membership will be accepted only for the scrutiny period. He said that all members seeking corrections to the voter list should produce the original membership receipt and documentary proof. Sources said that there are three serious contenders for the post of Youth Congress State president. The newly-elected will succeed Nabarangpur MP Pradip Majhi who had resigned after the election process started.