The Congress Working Committee meeting to approve the schedule of its presidential election is expected to take place at 10.30 am on Monday at party President Sonia Gandhi’s residence, PTI reported on Saturday.
The meeting is likely to clear the decks for the elevation of Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi to take over the leadership, the report said, citing sources. He is expected to be the only candidate in the fray. Sonia Gandhi has been the party’s longest-serving president.
Congress leader Janardhan Dwivedi said, “If only one nomination is filed it’ll be announced on date of withdrawal of nominations that he is the president since there is no other nomination,” according to ANI.
The announcement comes amid various rumours that Rahul Gandhi will soon lead the party. On October 13, Sonia Gandhi had said he will take over the Congress soon. “You have been asking this for so many years, and it is now happening,” she had said.
On October 7, the Delhi unit of the All India Congress Committee had passed a resolution asking Rahul Gandhi to take over as president of the party. On October 1, Rajasthan Congress leader Sachin Pilot had said that Rahul Gandhi may take over as president soon after Diwali.
The Congress vice president had also indicated in September that he was ready to take on the responsibility. During his address at the University of California in Berkley on September 12, he had brushed off a remark about being a dynast, and said he was “absolutely ready” to take up an executive responsibility if the party asked him to do so.
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