THE CPI(ML) CONSTITUTION

CHAPTER - I: Name and Flag

Name of the Party

Article 1: The name of the Party is The Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist).

Flag

Article 2: The flag of the Party is the red flag of rectangular size, the ratio of length and breadth being 3:2, with hammer and sickle in white inscribed in it in the middle.

CHAPTER - II: Party Membership

Eligibility for Membership

Article 3.1: Any Indian citizen of 18 years of age and above, willing to accept the programme and the constitution of the Party, to work under the discipline of any of the Party organisations, to carry out the task entrusted to him/her and to pay regularly the membership dues, i.e., fees and levy, as decided by the Party, may apply for the membership of the Party.

Basic Norm

Article 3.2: The members of the Party are the vanguard of the Indian working class. They must not seek personal gains or privileges, must lead plain and simple life, subordinate their personal interests to the interests of the Party and the people, be respectful and concerned towards the socially deprived sections of the society and uphold the dignity of the womenfolk.

Recruitment and Enrolment

Article 4.1: The members will be recruited in the Party from among the activists in the mass movements and mass organisation or from within activist groups and circles in various spheres on individual basis through Party branch or in its absence through the next higher Party organisation in existence.

Application and Declaration

Article 4.2: An applicant while applying for membership in a prescribed form shall have to make the following declaration:

"I volunteer to join the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist). I will uphold the Party's programme, abide by the provisions of the Party's constitution, fulfill the duty of a Party member, carry out the Party's decisions, strictly observe Party's discipline and will always be loyal to the Party. I will work hard, fight for communism throughout my life and prepare myself to sacrifice my all for the Party, for the people or the country. I pledge to guard Party secrets and never to betray the Party."

Article 4.3: Application of an individual for Party membership must be recommended by two Party members. The Party branch, on finding the applicant eligible for admission to the Party, shall forward the application to the next higher Party committee. Party committee above the Party branch is empowered to take the final decision regarding enrolment of a member.

Article 4.4: A member once expelled from the Party can be readmitted only after getting the clearance from the Party committee which had approved the expulsion.

Candidate Membership and Probation

Article 5.1: An applicant whose application is found in order shall first be admitted as a candidate member and shall be put on probation for a period of one year. After the expiry of the probationary period, either the full membership will be granted or the candidate membership will continue for not more than another six months. The probationary period of a candidate member begins from the day the area-level Party organisation or, in its absence, the next existing Party committee admits him/her as a candidate member.

Rights and Dudes of A Candidate Member

Article 5.2: The candidate members have the same duties as the full members have. They also enjoy the rights of the full members, save and except the right to elect or to be elected and the right of voting.

Full Membership

Article 6.1: The Party branch concerned will examine the record of candidate members at the end of the period of probation and forward the list of candidates qualifying for full membership to the next higher committee. Graduation of a candidate to full membership shall have to be decided upon by the local level Party committee, subject to approval of the district level Party committee. The Party standing of a member is counted from the day of his/her graduation to full membership.

Article 6.2: The Central Committee and State Committee shall have the right to grant full membership, in specific cases without going through the above-mentioned procedure,

Article 6.3: The Party membership is granted for one year and is subject to yearly renewal.

Membership Dues

Article 7.1: All applicants for the membership shall have to pay an enrollment fee of Rs.5/- along with the application. Candidate members after the expiry of the probationary period and on their graduation to full membership shall have to pay an admission fee of Rs.2/-. Full members shall have to pay a renewal fee of Rs.2/ at the time of yearly renewal.

Article 7.2: An earning Party member or a candidate member shall pay a minimum monthly levy to the Party. The rates of levy for different income groups are determined by the Party Central Committee.

Article 7.3: Party members belonging to the peasantry and other sections having seasonal incomes shall pay levy on seasonal basis at the same percentage after computing their income in money terms.

Rights of A Party Member

Article 8: All members of the Party shall enjoy the following rights

1. To elect or to be elected and the right of voting;
2. To participate freely in discussions on the Party line and policies in Party meetings, schools, Party journals or in other appropriate Party forums;
3. To be kept informed of developments in the Party line and policies, and of reports of the Party work, except secret matters, and to seek clarifications with regard to the Party line, stand, policies and decisions;
4. To criticize any Party organisation and any Party functionary at Party meetings;
5. To put forward any request, suggestion, appeal, complaint or criticism to a higher organisation up to and including the Central Committee and to get responsible reply from the organisation concerned;
6. To attend, with the right to defend oneself, discussion held by Party organisation to decide on disciplinary measures proposed against him/her (other Party members may also come forward in his/her defence);
7. To appeal against disciplinary measures while abiding by the decision of the organisation till the final disposal of the matter;
8. In case of disagreement with a Party decision or policy, to make reservations and to present one's views to Party organisation at higher levels up to and including the Central Committee provided that they resolutely carry out the decision or policy while it is in force.

Article 9: No Party organisation including the Central Committee has the right to deprive any Party member of his/her rights. Rather the Party organisation should encourage the Party members to exercise their rights.

Duties of A Party Member

Article 10: The duties of a Party member are as follows:

1. Study diligently Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought, Party Programme, Constitution, line, principles, current policies and Party literature as well as Party history and to acquire general scientific knowledge;
2. To undergo Party education through Party schools or any other method adopted by the Party from time to time;
3. To maintain close links with the masses and mass movements, to stand firmly by the people, to recruit Party members from among them, to propagate Party line and stands, to learn from the masses and to help the masses raise their consciousness;
4. To carry out firmly the decisions of the party, to participate regularly in the activities of the Party organisation to which they belong, to work in mass organisation, unless exempted, under the guidance of the Party committee.
5. To safeguard the monolithic unity and conscious discipline of the Party, remain vigilant against infiltration in the Party of agent provocateurs, careerists, anti-Party elements, double-dealers and other types of bad elements;
6. To wage relentless struggle against various non-proletarian ideas;
7. To remain honest to the Party, to match words with deeds, not to conceal one's own political views and not to place distorted facts, to practice criticism and self-criticism, to be bold in admitting one's own mistakes and in rectifying them and to stand in support of the correct positions and in opposition to the incorrect positions;
8. To pay regularly the membership levy fixed by the Party organisation.

CHAPTER III: The Organisational System of the Party

Democratic Centralism

Article 11.1: The Party organisation is based on and its internal life is guided by the principle of Democratic Centralism. It is opposed to bureaucracy, liberalism, anarchism, individualism, ultra-democracy and factionalism. The Party is necessarily a monolithic organisation and possesses a single will. It must not be a union of groups and factions which make contracts with one another and enter into temporary alliances or agreements. Freedom of thought and unity in action is the underlying message of democratic centralism, under which debates, polemics and contentions, among ideas are encouraged so as to combine and develop theory and practice in a conscious and sustained manner.

Article 11.2: The fundamental principles of democratic centralism on which the Party bases itself are as follows:

1. The individual is subordinated to the organisation;
2. The minority is subordinated to the majority;
3. The lower committees are subordinated to the higher committees, and.
4. The entire Party is subordinated to the Central Committee.

Leading Bodies of the Party

Article 11.3: The leading bodies of the Party at all levels are elected bodies. The Central Committee can fill up the vacancy, arisen for any reason whatsoever, within the Central Committee by co-option on the basis of simple majority of its total members. Subject to the approval of the next higher committee, the lower committees can co-opt new members. Party committees may, whenever necessary, form leading teams or organising committees at lower levels and Party fractions in mass organisations as well as appoint their incharges. In all cases democratic consultation, as far as practicable, must be undertaken.

Article 11.4: The supreme organisation of the Party is the All India Party Congress and between two successive Congresses, the Central Committee elected by the Party Congress. Higher leading bodies of the lower-level Party organisations are the Conferences and between two successive Conferences, the Party committees elected by the Conferences at the corresponding levels. All the Party committees are answerable to their respective Party Conferences/Congress.

Article 11.5: The leading bodies at different levels shall submit the review of their work before the Congress, Conference or the General Body Meetings of the Party members, as the case may be, to be convened under the directives and guidance of the next higher Party committee.

Article 11.6: The lower unit shall send regular reports to the higher units and the higher units shall keep the lower units informed of the developments. District/regional level committees shall send periodic reports to the Central Committee.

Functioning of the Leading Bodies

Article 11.7: The Party Committees at all levels function on the principle of collective leadership based on division of labour with individual responsibility. The Party resolutely opposes the tendency towards monopolisation of functions and powers of a Party committee by one individual or by a group.

Article 11.8: Decision taken by a higher Party organisation shall be transmitted promptly to the lower levels, shall be thoroughly discussed and explained to the lower bodies and must be firmly implemented.

Article 11.9: Matters concerning international affairs, matters having all-India character, or concerning more than one states, or matters which require uniform policy or decision for the whole country, shall be decided upon by the All India Party Congress or Central Committee. Matters concerning a state or a district and having state or district character shall be ordinarily decided upon by the corresponding Party organisations. But in no case shall such decisions run counter to the decisions of a higher Party organisation.

Elective Principle

Article 12: The election of the delegates to the Party Congress or Conferences and of the members of the Party committees at all levels shall reflect the will of the Party ranks. Keeping this in view, the Party adopts elective principle generally.

Article 13: The Party shall develop the appropriate system of organizational apparatus so that it suits the prevailing situation and conditions of work and also the long-term perspective.

Party Leadership

Article 14: The Party members working in various mass organisations and mass political organisations must work under the centralised leadership of the Party, accepting the guidance and control of the respective Party organisation.

All Party members shall bear it in mind that of all the various organisations of the working class and working people, the Party is the highest.

Article 15: All attempts at forming factions shall be sternly dealt with and shall invite serious disciplinary measures.

CHAPTER IV: All India Party Congress

Article 16: The Central Committee shall convene the Party Congress once in every five years. Under special circumstances it can advance or postpone the Party Congress.

Election of Delegates to the Party Congress

Article 17.1: The Party Congress shall have delegates, as per quota determined by the Central Committee, from the independently functioning full-fledged Party bodies, such as:

1. delegates elected by district-level electoral colleges comprising the members of the district-level Party committee, the members of the local level Party committees In the district concerned, secretaries of the Party branches, the members of any other district-level Party bodies and any other Party functionaries attached to that district Party organisation;
2. delegates elected from factory-level and institution-level Party committees;
3. delegates elected from state-level Party groups associated with the organ, office, departments, undertakings, including the members of the central departments attached to the state Party organisation;
4. delegates elected from the Party Centre comprising headquarters, central organs, central undertakings, etc.

Article 17.2: The Party Congress may have delegates nominated by the Central Committee, the maximum strength of which shall not exceed 20% of the total delegates having the right to vote.

Article 17.3: Exceptions may be made in view of particular conditions of any state(s) or of any central or state-level department.

Calididature for Delegation to Party Congress and Conferences

Article 17.4: The Party members willing to get elected at any level as delegate to the Party Congress/Conferences shall offer their candidature to the electors. Such a candidate as a Party member must belong to or be attached to the Party organisation where the election of delegates is being held and his candidature must be proposed and supported by a minimum number of electors, the number of which and other rules relating to such elections shall be specified by the Central Committee or by any other appropriate higher Party Committee.

Functions and Powers of Party Congress

Article 18: The Party Congress shall

1. Hear and examine the political-organisational report of the outgoing Central Committee;
2. Hear and examine the report of the outgoing Central Control Commission;
3. Discuss and decide major questions confronting the Party and determine the Party line and tactics in the current situation;
4. Revise the Programme, and the Constitution of the Party, if necessary;
5. Revise the Agrarian Programme of the Party, if necessary;
6. Adopt any other document that may be deemed necessary;
7. Determine the number of members of the Central Committee and elect the Central Committee;
8. Elect the Central Control Commission.

Electoral Procedures

Article 19: (a) The outgoing Central Committee shall propose to the Party Congress a panel of candidates for the new Central Committee.

(b) In case delegates have objections to name(s) proposed in the panel, they can propose new name(s) not exceeding the number to be elected. Such proposals should bear consent from the concerned candidate(s) whose name(s) is/are proposed.

Any such candidate reserves the right to withdraw his/her name before the final voting.

(c) Campaign in favour of candidate(s) is allowed within the allocated time.

1. The panel proposed, together with the name(s) proposed by the delegates will be put to vote on secret ballot system.

CHAPTER V: Central Committee

Article 20.1: The Central Committee is responsible for enforcing the Party Constitution and carrying out the political line and decisions adopted by the Party Congress. It represents the Party as a whole and is responsible for directing the entire work of the Party.

Article 20.2: The members of the Central Committee must have a Party standing of at least five years; however, this stipulation may be relaxed only under highly exceptional circumstances.

Article 20.3: The Central Committee shall meet at least twice a year. Such sessions shall be convened by its Political Bureau or on requisition by 1/3 of its members.

Article 20.4: The Central Committee shall elect from among its members the General Secretary and the Political Bureau.

Article 20.5: The Central Committee may, in special circumstances, convene special Party Conferences to deal with some specific ideological / political / organisational issues of urgent importance.

Article 20.6: The Central Committee may organise the Central Committee members of different zones into zonal bureaus, may form departments, commissions, etc., for specific purposes under its direct guidance and may appoint a Secretariat of the Central Committee, which will look after the day-to-day work of the Polit Bureau and assist the Polit Bureau in the implementation of the decisions of the Polit Bureau or Central. Committee.

Article 20.7: The Central Committee shall appoint the editor(s) of the Central Organ(s) and shall confirm the appointments of the editors of the organs of the State Committees.

Article 20.8: The Central Committee may constitute special committees in rural areas of strategic importance, covering several districts or in the border regions cutting across the boundaries of more than one state or in the metropolitan cities and may guide them directly.

Article 20.9: The Central Committee has the authority to re-demarcate the areas of work of any organisation of the Party.

Article 20.10: The Central Committee can requisition any cadre member for central work and can transfer the cadres.

Article 20.11: The Central Committee, under special circumstances, may disband any lower committee and reorganise it or undertake alternative arrangements until reorganisation.

Article 20.12: The Central Committee may undertake any disciplinary action against any erring individual member.

Article 20.13: In the event of arrest of a Central Committee member, and provided that he/she is likely to remain under custody for more than 6 months, Central Committee may co-opt a substitute member. Such substitute member(s) will enjoy full rights as Central Committee members but will vacate their seat(s) as soon as the arrested member(s) get released and assume their duties.

Article 20.14: In case emergency or large-scale arrests, the Central Committee, the state committees and district committees shall be reorganised into smaller compact bodies. The names of members to such reorganised Central Committee shall be prepared by the remaining members of the Polit Bureau in consultation with the accessible members of Central Committee. Such reorganisations in state and district committees will be effected by the remaining members of the respective standing committees. The reconstituted Central Committee may frame new rules for safeguarding the Party organisation. But, with the normalisation of situation, elected committees shall be restored.

Political Bureau

Article 21: When the Central Committee is not in session, the Political Bureau carries on the functions and exercises the powers of the Central Committee. The General Secretary is authorised to convene the meetings of the Political Bureau.

CHAPTER - VI: State, District and Local Party Organisations

State, Special Area, Regional and District Conferences

Article 22.1: The highest Party organisations in the States, Special Areas, Regions and Districts are the State, Special Area, Regional and District Conferences respectively. These Conferences shall hear and examine the reports of the respective outgoing committees, discuss and decide on the major questions confronting the respective areas and organisations and elect State, Special Area, Regional and District Committees. These committees shall provide leadership over the work in their respective areas.

Article 22.2: The procedure adopted in regard to election of State Committees and below through respective conferences will be the same as the one adopted in the Party Congress. Panels will be placed by respective outgoing committees and the elections will be conducted by the observers deputed by the higher committees.

Article 22.3: The State Party Conferences shall be held once in every three years. Special Area Conferences, Regional Conferences and District Conferences shall be held once in two years. The members of the State Committees must, unless relaxed in exceptional cases, have a Party standing of at least three years, while members of the Special Area, Regional and District Committees must have a Party standing, unless relaxed in exceptional cases, of at least two years.

Article 22.4: All State and Special Area conferences must get the approval of the Central Committee. In the case of any violation of the stipulated rules in convening and conducting such conferences, the Central Committee may either annul the conference wholly or may rescind any of its decisions and/or may take other appropriate measures. The other higher committees have similar rights in relation to the conferences at their respective lower levels.

Election of Delegates to State Conferences

Article23.1: State-level conferences shall have delegates as given below as per quota determined by the State Committees:

1. delegates elected by district-level electoral colleges comprising the members of the district-level Party committee, the members of the local-level Party committees in the district concerned, Party branch secretaries, the members of any other district-level Party bodies and any other Party functionaries attached to that district Party organisation;
2. delegates elected from factory-level and institution-level Party committees;
3. delegates elected from state-level Party groups In the organ, office, departments, undertakings, etc.

Article 23.2: State Committee may nominate delegates to State Conferences, the maximum number of which shall not exceed 20% of the total delegates with voting right.

Election of Delegates to Special Area, Regional and District level Conferences

Article 24.1: Special area / regional / district-level conferences shall have delegates as follows:

1. the members of the leading teams of the Party branches in the concerned special area/region/district;
2. the members of the local-level Party committees in the concerned special area/region/district;
3. the members of the concerned special area/regional district-level committee;
4. members of arty other district-level Party bodies.

Article 24.2: Party committees convening special area / regional / district Party conferences may also nominate delegates to the same, not exceeding 20% of the total delegates with voting right.

Article 25.1: The state/special area/regional/district committee shall elect its secretary, standing committee and shall appoint editor of its organ, if any, and shall seek approval from the respective higher committees subsequently:

Article 25.2: The standing committee of the respective committee shall exercise the powers and execute the functions of the committee concerned when the latter is not in session.

Local-level Party Organisations

Article 26.1: Below regional/district-level Party committee and above the Party branch, there shall be local-level Party organisations covering an area or a town or a block or more than one block.

Article 26.2: Local level Party committees shall be formed through local level Party conferences. Such conferences should generally take place every year to discuss and finalise the work report and programme for the next year placed by the outgoing committee and to elect a new committee. All full members under the area may be deemed as delegates, if practicable; or delegation may be based on proportionate representation from Party branches, as determined by the local committee and approved by the district committee.

Article 26.3: Members of the local-level Party committees must have, unless relaxed in exceptional cases, a Party standing of at least one year.

Article 26.4: In between local level Party committee and Party branches, wherever necessary, sub-committees may be formed comprising the areas of operation of three or more branches. Such sub-committees are to be formed by the local committee for the purpose of effective coordination and functioning.

Article 27.1: State Committees shall decide on the formation of District and Regional Committees and their areas of operation in their respective states.

Article 27.2: Similarly, State Committees shall decide or authorise the DC/RC to decide on the local Party organisations to be set up between the primary unit (the branch) and the District or the Regional committee and shall make necessary provisions relating to their composition and functioning. This will be done in accordance with the rules laid down by the Central Committee.

CHAPTER - VII: Primary Organisations of the Party

Party Branches

Article 28.1: The primary unit of the Party is the Party Branch organised on the basis of profession and territory.

Party Members organised on the basis of profession shall be associate members of the Party branches in their places of residence and the work allotted to them in their residential area should not come in the way of their main work in their workplace.

Article 28.2: Party branches are the living links between the masses of workers, peasants and other sections of the people within their respective areas or spheres and the concerned leading committees of the Party. Their tasks are:

1. To carry out the directives of the higher committee;
2. To win over the masses in their factory/institution or locality into the Party fold through propaganda and agitation and through mass movements;
3. To recruit new members from among militant, serious activists of the ongoing mass movements and other sympathizers after imparting political education;
4. To help the higher Party organisations in their organisational and agitational work.

Article 28.3: To carry out the above tasks Party branches shall elect their leading teams, subject to the approval of the next higher Party organisation.

Article 28.4: Party branch shall function under the leadership and guidance of the next higher Party committee. However, in some special cases they may be directly guided by further higher Party committees.

Activist Groups

Article 29: Activist groups shall be formed comprising non-member activists under the charge of a full or a candidate member.

CHAPTER VIII: Party Fractions in Mass Organisations

Party Fractions

Article 30: Party members working in mass organisations and their executive bodies shall be organised into fractions. These fractions shall be completely controlled by the corresponding level Party committees and on all questions they must strictly and without vacillation carry out the decisions of the Party organisations.

Article 31: Main tasks of the Party fractions are:

1. to ensure that Party principles, policies and decisions are properly implemented;
2. to unite with non-Party cadres and masses in fulfilling the tasks assigned by the Party; and
3. to organise and guide the Party members at their levels.

Article 32: All official drafts and panels of mass organisations must necessarily have prior approval of the concerned Party committees.

CHAPTER - IX: Disciplinary Measures

Article 33.1: In the event of violation of Party discipline by any member, the concerned Party organisation, in accordance with its power and sphere of work and considering the merits and demerits of the matter, will take the proper disciplinary measures, such as warning, censure, public censure, demotion, removal from the Party posts, suspension from the Party membership and putting on probation for a period not exceeding one year, and expulsion. The maximum punishment is expulsion from the Party.

Article 33.2: All Party committees must take stem action against members found guilty of violating the dignity of women.

Article 33.3: Members whose revolutionary spirit has suffered erosion and who are not improving despite repeated education may be advised to leave the Party.

Article 34.1: Any decision to remove a member of the Central Committee from the Central Committee itself and/or to place such a member on probation within the Party or to expel him/her from the Party must be taken by the two-third majority of the members present and voting in the session of the Central Committee, and in any case, not falling below the simple majority of the total strength of the Central Committee.

Article 34.2: In other Party committees, such measures shall, however, be taken by majority of the present members, which should in no case be less than simple majority of the committee, subject to approval by the next higher Party committee.

Article 35: A member of the Central Committee who has been identified as an enemy agent or is found to be involved in criminal acts or in grave anti-Party activities shall be expelled from the Party forthwith on the decision of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee. Such a member of a lower Party Committee shall be expelled from the Party on the decision of the Standing Committee of the concerned Party Committee: These decisions will come into effect immediately and approval from the higher committees can be sought subsequently.

Article 36.1: The comrade against whom a disciplinary measure is proposed shall be fully informed of the allegations, charges and other relevant facts against him/her. He/she shall have the right to be heard in person by the Party unit to which he/she belongs and shall have the right to submit his/her defence in writing.

Article 36.2: When a member simultaneously belongs to two Party units, the lower unit may recommend disciplinary action against him/her but it shall not come in effect until and unless it is accepted by the higher unit to which the member concerned belongs.

Article 36.3: The right it to appeal in all the cases of disciplinary action is guaranteed as per article 8(g) of the Party Constitution.

Article 37: In the event of a Party organisation seriously violating Party discipline and showing inability to rectify the mistakes on its own, the next higher Party Committee shall, after verifying the facts and considering the gravity of the case, decides upon the reorganisation or dissolution of' the erring organisation. This decision, however, is subject to the approval of the next higher Party Committee.

CHAPTER X: Central Control Commission

Article 38.1: The Central Control Commission shall be elected by the Party Congress. Its tenure shall be till the next Party Congress.

Article 38.2: The Central Control Commission shall elect its chairperson who shall be the ex-officio member of the Party Central Committee.

Article 38.3: The Central Committee is empowered to fill the vacancy arising in the Central Control Commission in between two Party Congresses.

Article 39: The Central Control Commission shall

1. Examine and decide upon the cases referred to it by the Central Committee or the Polit Bureau;
2. Take up the cases of appeal where disciplinary action has been taken by the State Committee;
3. Take up the cases of appeal involving expulsion, suspension from full Party membership, decision of dropping from Party membership by district or other lower-level Party Committees, against which an appeal has been made to the State Committee and rejected.

Article 40: Rules for the functioning of the Central Control Commission shall be framed by the Central Committee in consultation with the Central Control Commission.

CHAPTER XI: Finances of the Party

Financial Sources

Article 41: The financial resources of the Party comprise membership dues, income from various Party undertakings and the contributions from the mass movements and individual sympathisers.

Financial Management

Article 42.1: The Central Committee is responsible for the Party finance. The Central Committee shall draw up annual budget and allocate funds accordingly and shall appoint an in-charge of the Party finance. The Central Committee shall adopt the annual statement of accounts submitted to it by the Political Bureau.

Article 42.2: The State Committee and other lower-level Party committees shall follow the pattern at the Central level in the matter of management of finance.

Article 42.3: Membership fees shall be at the disposal of the Central Committee. The Central Committee shall decide on the proportions of distribution of levy as well as any other special collection among various Party structures.

CHAPTER XII: Party Members as Elected People's Representatives

Article 43: Party members elected as people's representatives to the Parliament, State legislatures, institutions of local self-government and other public bodies shall function under the guidance of the corresponding level Party committee, or in its absence the next higher committee. To ensure uniformity and oneness in their activities such elected members shall be brought under a single Party group under the concerned Party committee. Relevant rules framed by the Central Committee shall serve as the code of conduct for such representatives and Party groups.

Article 44.1: Nominations of Party candidates for selection of Parliament, State legislatures or councils or centrally administered areas shall be subject to approval by the Central Committee.

Article 44.2: As for the nomination of Party candidates for corporations, municipalities, district boards, local boards and panchayats, etc., rules shall be drawn up by the State Committee.

CHAPTER XIII: Statutory Provision

Article 45: The Party shall bear faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India as by law established, and to the principles of socialism, secularism and democracy, and would uphold the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India.

Article 46: The Central Committee shall frame rules and by-laws from time-to-time under the Party Constitution and in conformity with it. The whole Party shall abide by these rules and by-laws.

CHAPTER XV: Amendments

Article 47: The Party Constitution may be amended only by the All India Party Congress. The notice for the proposals for amendments should be given one month before the Party Congress

Last updated on February 14, 2001