Election Commission Tells Congress to Hold Internal Elections by June 30

New Delhi: The Election Commission has told the Congress to hold internal elections latest by June.

Since September, 2015, Congress has on two occasions urged the poll panel to allow it to defer its internal elections.

EC has said it would grant no further extension and the internal polls should be over "latest by June 30, 2017". Congress has also been asked to submit the list of its new office bearers by July 15 to the Commission.

With the Commission refusing to grant further time to Congress to hold the organisational polls, the demand to anoint Rahul Gandhi party chief could gain momentum after the assembly elections are over on March 8.

Under the EC's rules, all registered political parties have to hold organisational elections annually. But Congress had cited its constitution to say that its internal polls are held every 5 years.

(With agency inputs)