Sonia Gandhi to Remain Party President For Now, Says Congress

Sonia Gandhi’s tenure as party chief was supposed to end on 10 August, one year after she assumed the post.

File image of Congress president Sonia Gandhi. 

(Photo: PTI)

The Congress on Sunday, 9 August said that Sonia Gandhi will continue as the interim president till until "proper procedure" is carried out "in the near future”.

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi, during an online media briefing, said it was true that Sonia Gandhi’s tenure as interim chief comes to an end on 10 August. But that does not mean that seat falls vacant."

He told reporters, "There's proper procedure which CWC carries out for reelection. It'll be done in near future and you'll have a result. It's written in Congress Constitution, we're bound to do it."

Sonia Gandhi had taken over as the interim chief on 10 August last year after her son Rahul Gandhi resigned after taking responsibility for the party’s poor performance in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, on Sunday, said that the party must expedite the process of finding a full term President to avoid creating the perception that the party is "adrift and rudderless,"reported PTI.

"I certainly believe we should be clear about our leadership going forward. I welcomed Sonia ji's appointment as interim president last year, but I do believe it's unfair to her to expect her to carry this burden indefinitely," Mr Tharoor told PTI in an interview.