Sticking to AICC General Secretary Rahul Gandhi’s agenda of empowering Dalits and women, the youth wing of the Congress in Uttar Pradesh will have reservation for Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes and women in all the 26 units of its central zone — where organisational elections will be held in the first phase.

These units will be coterminous — covering the same area — with the 26 Lok Sabha constituencies in the zone. Enrollment of members in the zone will begin from November 12 and will last a month. After scrutiny, which is expected to take one month, central zone elections will be held. Seats will be

reserved at the level of unit presidents and also in organisational committees. The reserved posts will be selected by a draw.

As many as 25 per cent posts of unit presidents will be reserved — half for SC/ST and half for women. As a result, three SC/ST members and three women will become presidents in the central zone.

“At all levels, whether panchayat, state, Assembly and Lok Sabha constituency, we will have reservation in the committees. Out of the 10 committee members at all levels, one post of general secretary will be reserved for SC/ST, one for women and one for OBC or minorities,” said Prakash Joshi, member of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) Election Commission who has been given the charge of UP.

Former state Youth Congress president Yogesh Dixit pointed out that in the old structure, when district presidents were appointed by nomination, there was no reservation.

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