Rahul set to replace Sonia
India's main opposition party Congress led by Italy-born Sonia Gandhi has called a meeting of the party's decision-making forum today amidst speculations that it will clear the decks for anointment of her son Rahul Gandhi as the party chief.
The long-held suspense over 47-year-old Rahul Gandhi's elevation as the Congress president, which will see a generational shift in the party's leadership, could be over as early as December 1 if the meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) gives its stamp of approval to the suggested dates for completing its organisational polls. Rahul, the scion of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, is now the vice president of the party.
According to the poll schedule drawn up by the party's election authority, the last date of filing nomination papers is December 1 and if there is a contest, the election would be held on December 8.
"The dates for election of the next Congress president will be fixed on Monday," senior leader Janardan Dwivedi said. "If there is only one nomination, the next Congress president will be announced on the last day of withdrawal itself."
If things go as per the script, Rahul Gandhi could take over as Congress chief and will lead the party in next parliamentary elections in early 2019.
His elevation to be the party chief, it happens, will come ahead of the crucial elections to the 182-member legislative assembly in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state of Gujarat scheduled for December 9 and 14 in two phases.
Congress is out of power in India since May, 2014 having lost parliamentary polls to Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party and in Gujarat for the last two decades.
If there is a contest for the post of Congress President, which is extremely unlikely, around 2,000 delegates of the party's electoral college will vote.
Rahul, who joined politics in 2004 and became party vice president in January, 2013, had last month made clear his willingness to take over the mantle of the party from his mother.
Sonia holds the record of being the party chief for more than 19 consecutive years after taking over from Sitaram Kesri in March 1998.
Congress party is running behind schedule to elect its new chief. After two extensions, the Election Commission of India has set December 31 deadline for the party to complete its internal polls.
The clamour within Congress for Rahul to take over has been growing for the last three years and a meeting of the CWC on November 7 last year had unanimously urged him to take control of the India's oldest party founded on December 28, 1885.
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