The system works pretty much the same way in the Congress. This is the first time that any party in the country would decide its Lok Sabha candidates through primary elections. According to Congress, “any eligible person satisfying certain clearly laid down requirements shall be accepted as a candidate for these Primaries”. To begin with the candidates should not have any criminal background. The candidate should have held an important position within the Congress at some point of time. However, primaries are open to people from outside the party as well, as long as they are people “of social standing in public service/social cause” and have not been associated with any political party before.