Organisation and Structure of Nayi Disha Platform The organisational structure of Nayi Disha shall comprise of the following five levels;
We are in the initial stages of creating a people centric political platform. We would like to invite all of you to go through the first draft of our rules and regulations and let us know your opinions, thoughts or suggestions via the comment box below before 31 March 2018.
Thank you.
To know more about the idea behind our political platform please read Rajesh’s note on Nayi Disha Platform.
Organisation and Structure of Nayi Disha Platform
The organisational structure of Nayi Disha shall comprise of the following levels:
1. Booth President
2. Block Council
3. Assembly Constituency Council
4. Parliamentary Constituency Council
5. Nayi Disha Team
1. Booth President
The winner of the primary election from each booth shall be appointed as the Booth President in the area covered by the concerned booth. S/he shall be responsible for campaigning and coordination at the local level and be the primary contact for local members.
Powers and functions of Booth President
i. Carry out information campaign locally and spread awareness about the Nayi Disha platform and increase the membership of the organisation.
ii. Form local teams from Nayi Disha members and assign them tasks as needed including organising public forums, meet-ups, social gatherings, etc.
iii. Serve as a primary contact for Nayi Disha members and spread the word about the vision and mission of Nayi Disha.
iv. Perform other necessary tasks such as conducting opinion polls, surveys, distribute pamphlets etc. from time to time in consultation with the Block Council.
v. Raise funds for the Nayi Disha platform.
vi. Raise local issues and promote Nayi Disha’s solutions for combating them.
vii. Run voter registration drives within the booth limits, introducing the Nayi Disha candidate and get people to come out and vote on the day of election.
2. Block Council
A Block Council shall be constituted in every block as delimited by Nayi Disha and shall comprise of a president and all Booth Presidents within that block. The winner of the primary election at the block level shall be the president of the Block Council.
Powers and functions of Block Council
i. Monitor and supervise Nayi Disha activities within its territory in consultation with Booth Presidents.
ii. Coordinate with other block councils within the Assembly Constituency to develop political and communication strategy at local level.
iii. Organise and coordinate Nayi Disha’s activities, town-halls, meetings, events and public forums at the block level to further Nayi Disha’s objectives.
iv. Form teams, task forces and committees necessary for smooth functioning of Nayi Disha and to achieve its objectives.
v. Resolve disputes, receive and decide complaints of violation of Code of Conduct against members in a fair and transparent manner.
vi. Conduct training camps and seminars for booth presidents and local leaders.
Read Nayi Disha Manifesto for Making Indians Prosperous
3. Assembly Constituency Council
An Assembly Constituency Council shall be established in every Assembly Constituency as delimited by the Election Commission and shall comprise of the presidents and all Block Council presidents within that constituency. The winner of the primary election at the assembly constituency level shall be the president of the Council.
Powers and functions of Assembly Constituency Council
i. Monitor and supervise Nayi Disha activities within its territory in consultation with Block Council presidents.
ii. Coordinate with the Parliamentary Constituency Council for information campaigns, political strategy, policy positions and on other relevant issues.
iii. Raise local issues and popularise Nayi Disha’s solutions to combat regional issues.
iv. Establish the best practices to be followed for units within the Assembly Constituency based on shared experience and knowledge of local leaders.
4. Parliamentary Constituency Council
A Parliamentary Constituency Council shall be established in every Parliamentary Constituency as delimited by the Election Commission and shall comprise of a president and all Assembly Constituency presidents within that constituency. The winner of the primary election at the parliamentary constituency level shall be the president of the Council.
Powers and Functions of Parliamentary Constituency Council
i. Monitor and supervise Nayi Disha activities within its territory in consultation with Assembly Council presidents.
ii. Organise and coordinate Nayi Disha’s activities at the Parliamentary Constituency level and carry out necessary tasks in consultation with the Nayi Disha Team to further the objectives of Nayi Disha.
iii. Coordinate with the Nayi Disha Team for information campaigns, political strategy, policy positions and on other relevant issues.
5. Nayi Disha Team
The Nayi Disha Team shall be the primary executive for the platform and shall coordinate all activities within the organisation including maintenance of the website, conducting of primary elections, developing political strategy, maintaining social media accounts of Nayi Disha, publication of blogs, formulation of internal rules, outlining the code of conduct for members among other things.
6. Points System
All Nayi Disha shall be entitled to receive points of appreciation for their contribution to the platform. The details of the points awarded for each contribution or activity can be accessed here.
7. Rules for Conducting Primary Elections
These rules shall govern the conduct of primary elections for local leadership and electoral candidates for Nayi Disha.
i. A primary election must be conducted as soon as a minimum 5 % of the registered voters at the polling station, block, Assembly Constituency, and Parliamentary Constituency levels become members of Nayi Disha.
a. The 5 % threshold shall be determined by Nayi Disha as per the data collected through its app and website in conjugation with the publicly available electoral rolls provided by the Election Commission of India.
b. For the purpose of Rule 2, the terms polling station, Assembly Constituency, and Parliamentary Constituency shall have the same meaning as assigned to them by the Election Commission of India.
c. A block shall consist of ten polling stations. The boundaries of blocks shall be decided by Nayi Disha in an open and transparent manner as and when necessary.
ii. An “Election Primary” shall take place before every election for any Constitutional post at any level across India. The election primary shall be conducted only if at least 10% of the registered voters in the concerned electoral constituency are members of Nayi Disha.
iii. The members who meet the following criteria shall be eligible for elections in an election primary –
a. The top two point holders at the booth level
b. The top three point holders at the block level and all members of the Block Council
c. The top four point holders at the Assembly Constituency level and all members of the Assembly Council
d. The top five point holders at the Parliamentary Constituency level and all members of the Parliamentary Council
Provided that such members are eligible to contest the concerned election as per the rules and regulations laid down by the Election Commission of India.
iv. Within seven calendar days of reaching the 5 % threshold for primary or 10% threshold for an election primary, Nayi Disha shall send a notice to inform each registered member in whose constituency the primaries are to be conducted at booth and block levels. Primaries at the Assembly and Parliamentary Constituency levels shall be conducted before their respective election dates at a time deemed necessary by Nayi Disha.
a. The notice of the primary election shall have clear information containing the procedure for the nomination, the date of the election, the date of announcement of results, and other necessary details.
b. The notice shall be sent digitally (app, e-mail, SMS).
v. Nayi Disha must provide a period of at least 15 days for a potential candidate to file their nominations by obtaining the appropriate number of endorsements.
vi. Following the nomination procedure, Nayi Disha shall announce the date of elections and inform all potential voters regarding the same at least 7 days in advance. Unless otherwise stated, the elections shall take place on a Wednesday.
a. The notice of the announcement shall include the details of the post or leadership position for which the primary election is being conducted along with the date, time and manner of voting, and other necessary details.
b. All elections must take place between 12:00 a.m. and 11:59 p.m. on a predetermined date. All voters shall have the right to cast one vote for their choice of candidate.
c. Nayi Disha could issue additional rules and guidelines for the efficient conduct of the primary elections.
vii. The primary elections shall be conducted digitally through Nayi Disha portal, app or SMS.
viii. Nayi Disha shall declare the results of each election within 24 hours. To win an election, a candidate must obtain at least 50 percent + 1 vote of the total votes cast.
a. In case none of the candidates meet the above criteria, another election shall be conducted for the concerned post with the top-two candidates.
b. In case of a tie, fresh elections shall be conducted.
ix. All primary winners shall be entitled to hold their post for a period of one year from the date of formal appointment. After the expiry of one year, another primary shall be conducted for the post. There shall be no limit on the number of times a member can contest primary elections.
8. Privileges of office bearers and electoral primary winners
All office bearers of Nayi Disha and the electoral primary winner from the Platform shall be entitled to the rights and privileges as mentioned here.
9. Rights of Nayi Disha Members
Each Nayi Disha Member shall have the following rights;
i. To elect and be elected to leadership positions of Nayi Disha at all levels through open, transparent and democratic means subject to the established rules and procedures of Nayi Disha.
ii. To freely participate in discussion and activities of Nayi Disha and to contribute to the decision-making process at all levels.
iii. To get work assigned to them in accordance with their willingness and abilities.
iv. To criticise any Nayi Disha Member for wrongful conduct within the established grievance redressal process.
v. To be given a reasonable opportunity to defend against any disciplinary action taken against them.
vi. To leave Nayi Disha at their will.
10. Code of Conduct
All Nayi Disha members agree to abide the following rules of conduct. In case of infractions, Nayi Disha reserves the right to revoke their membership.
i. All members shall respect the rights of other Nayi Disha Members and follow the official rules, procedures and guidelines as and when issued.
ii. Members must not misuse organisational resources or engage in any fraudulent or unlawful activities during internal elections.
iii. Members must not indulge in acts of violence, intimidation (physical or verbal) and other indecent behaviour.
iv. Members must not deliberately act or carry propaganda against the programmes and decisions of Nayi Disha. They should not undertake any activity which contradicts Nayi Disha’s objectives.
v. Members must always conduct themselves with honesty, integrity, and good faith.
11. Disclaimer
Nayi Disha Team shall be the final authority in case of any disagreements and disputes among the members. All legal disputes shall be subjected to Mumbai jurisdiction. Nayi Disha shall not be liable for any direct, consequential, or incidental damages, monetary or otherwise, arising from participation in its platform, and any unauthorised act or omission committed in course of carrying on Nayi Disha’s objectives.
