The Congress party is all set to get a new president. A committee comprising party heavyweights including Sonia Gandhi, is vetting names. Ahmed Patel, Ghulam Nabi Azad, AK Antony and KC Venugopal are members of the committee as well.
Sources close to Rahul Gandhi have been suggesting for a while that he has no desire to continue as the party president, despite his offer of resignation having been rejected by the Congress Working Committee.
It appears that Sonia Gandhi and other senior Congress leaders had only managed to delay the inevitable. Ashok Gehlot, the chief minister of Rajasthan, is reportedly the favoured candidate for the position.
The Quint shared this information with the office of Rahul Gandhi on 19 June, requesting an official response on the same. This report will be updated once it is received.
Putting Speculations to Rest or Stirring Them Further?
On 12 June, the Congress’ chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala stated, “Rahul Gandhi was, is, and will remain the Congress president”. The statement came after many days of uncertainty about Gandhi’s offer to quit the post.
Earlier, P Chidambaram had mentioned that Rahul Gandhi quitting would spell disaster in the southern states of India. Gandhi had chosen to contest from Wayanad in Kerala in addition to Amethi. He lost the latter constituency to BJP’s Smriti Irani.
There was a strong current, however, that Rahul Gandhi wanted to quit his position on moral grounds. Sources close to the Gandhi family shared that Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi’s mother and former president of the party, has been opposing his decision.
Gandhi had offered to resign as party chief during a meeting of the Congress Working Committee on 25 May. The session was meant to brainstorm and assess the party’s performance in the general elections, in which they secured only 52 seats. The CWC had unanimously rejected Gandhi’s offer.
Rahul Gandhi has reiterated his resolve to quit, as reported by NDTV, and has stated that he has no role to play in the process of choosing the new chief.
Gehlot, the Congress Loyalist
Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot visited the Congress office in New Delhi on 19 June to participate in Rahul Gandhi's birthday celebrations and the two leaders met briefly. Gehlot later addressed the media, “We urge Rahul ji to take up the leadership of the party in the interests of the country and people.”
A senior Congress leader has confirmed that Gehlot has been persuaded to assume the new role as the party chief. On the other hand, Gehlot has reportedly denied any such development and said that these ideas were propagated only by some media reports.
It is to be noted, however, that the first media report suggesting this development was published only on 20 June. Is it then Gehlot's way of giving a red-herring till the official announcement is made?
68-year-old Gehlot has been a Congress loyalist and served as its national general secretary and incharge of organisations and training in the past. He has served as Rajasthan CM twice earlier. He appears well-suited for the new role.
If Not Gehlot, Then Who?
However, if Gehlot is not going to be the new chief and Rahul Gandhi is adamant to quit, other leaders may be considered. Party sources share that Mukul Wasnik is also in the reckoning. It is being speculated that a bigger role for Manish Tewari may be carved out. Dr Shashi Tharoor, a third-time MP, has also expressed his willingness to assume more responsibility in the party.
If sources are to be believed, Rahul Gandhi's quitting is imminent and the party is exploring all possible options, including appointing two to four working presidents. No names for this have been proposed as yet.
With a ground worker MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury's elevation as Leader in Lok Sabha, the Congress has indicated that it is willing to go the extra mile to rejuvenate the party.
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