GENERAL SECRETARY'S LETTER NO.97.

Summary

This four-page Swatantra Party circular, issued by General Secretary M. R. Masani on March 23, 1965, translates a recently endorsed organisational statement into an operational plan for the 1967 General Election. It assigns day-to-day campaign supervision to the Central Parliamentary Board and asks State Units to establish parliamentary committees, rank constituencies by priority, and recommend candidates for Parliament and State Assemblies.

The letter sets out criteria and procedures for candidate selection, including character, political record, constituency acceptability, electorate composition, party organisation, previous voting patterns, and local consultation. It also calls for verification of candidates, formal approval and minutes from State Parliamentary Boards, a Central Office inquiry process, recruitment of constituency-level field organisers, and an immediate meeting of each State Board or Committee. The document is primarily an internal exercise in party-building, electoral preparation, and decentralised but centrally reviewed governance.

Key points

• The Central Parliamentary Board is made responsible for supervising the Swatantra Party’s campaign for the 1967 General Elections.
• State Units are instructed to create compact State Parliamentary Committees or Boards where these do not already exist.
• Constituencies are to be listed in priority order using demographic, organisational, electoral, and economic information.
• Prospective parliamentary candidates should be assessed for character, personality, political record, and acceptability to the constituency.
• State Boards retain discretion over selection procedures but must document scrutiny and secure formal approval for recommendations.
• Assembly-candidate selection requires consultation at Assembly, Parliamentary, and State levels, including coordination with already nominated parliamentary candidates.
• The Central Office will conduct inquiries into recommended names, while a sub-committee is intended to expedite decisions.
• State Units are asked simultaneously to identify and recommend constituency-level field organisers.