New Delhi: The stage is set for elevation of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi as party president with the Congress Working Committee, the highest decision making body of the party, meeting tomorrow to notify the schedule for the election of the new party president.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi has convened a meeting of the Working Committee tomorrow morning, in which the schedule for the election of the post of party president will be announced, AICC General Secretary Janardhan Dwivedi told reporters here last evening.
The Election Commission has set a December 31 deadline for the party to complete the process of organisational elections.The meeting of the CWC has led to speculations that Mr Rahul Gandhi could be announced as party president before the completion of Gujarat Assembly Elections.
The CWC notification will clear the decks for the elevation of party vice-president Rahul Gandhi as its next president. Party leaders and activists have been demanding for a long time that Mr Gandhi be elevated as the party president.The Congress has already completed the task of constituting Pradesh Congress Committees.
Dates for filing of nomination, their scrutiny and withdrawal will be notified, and ballots to be issued (if required) and date of polling will be decided.Mr Dwivedi has said that if only one person fills the nomination for the post of President, then he will be declared as party president on the last date of the withdrawal of nominations due to no other candidate having filed his nomination.
Party sources said that Mr Gandhi is the only candidate in the fray and is likely to be elected unopposed .The Congress Working Committee has already made a request to party President Sonia Gandhi to hand over the command of the party to Mr Gandhi. Mr Gandhi has also indicated several times that he is ready to take on the responsibility of the post of party president.
The sentiment has been conveyed by nearly all the PCCs, which have passed resolutions asking that he take over as president. (UNI)