Sonia set for 4th term as Cong chief

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday led Congress leaders in proposing the name of Sonia Gandhi as party chief for a fourth consecutive term.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday led Congress leaders in proposing the name of Sonia Gandhi as party chief for a fourth consecutive term.

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Gandhi will be formally declared re-elected on Friday as the party's Central Election Authority, headed by Oscar Fernandes, found valid 55 sets of papers filed on her behalf on the last day of nominations on Thursday. However, one set of papers filed from Chandigarh was declared invalid as it carried the names of nine proposers as against the mandatory 10.

"The Congress president will be handed over a certificate at the AICC headquarters on Friday," Fernandes later said.

Gandhi (63) already holds the record of having served as Congress president for 12 consecutive years since 1998. She is the fifth member of the Nehru-Gandhi family to hold the post.