New Delhi: The Congress has called a virtual meeting of its highest executive body, the Congress Working Committee (CWC), on August 28 to approve dates for the election of the party’s next president, general secretary KC Venugopal announced on Wednesday.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi is travelling abroad along with her children Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for a medical check-up amid the buzz over front-runners for the party chief’s post, with the names of several leaders doing the rounds.
While some reports said that Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot could be in the running, he announced on Wednesday that “efforts will be made till the last moment” to persuade Rahul Gandhi to return as party president.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Rajasthan government’s “Investor Summit”, the veteran Congress leader said: “We will try to persuade Rahul Gandhi ji till the last moment to take over as Congress president. The Congress Working Committee meeting is being held on August 28. We would like him to be the president.”
“If Rahul Gandhi does not become the president,” Gehlot said, “many people will be disappointed.”
{{/usCountry}}“If Rahul Gandhi does not become the president,” Gehlot said, “many people will be disappointed.”
{{/usCountry}}“Sonia ji has gone abroad for a check-up. KC Venugopal and I paid a courtesy call on her yesterday (Tuesday) when we were going to Gujarat... Nobody knows what is going to be decided,” he said.
The developments come at a time there are reports of a strain within the Congress, with a group of 23 leaders, popularly called ‘G23’, having written to Sonia Gandhi in 2020 to push for organisational reforms.
Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel, meanwhile, addressed speculation about his name being considered for the party’s top post, saying he was not in the race. Speaking at the HT Education Summit, he said: “I am not in the race. And I maintain that the best person to become the Congress president will and always was Rahul Gandhi.”
Two other senior leaders, Mukul Wasnik and P Chidambaram, too, denied they were in the race.
Sonia Gandhi returned as the Congress’s president in 2019 after Rahul Gandhi resigned following the party’s defeat in the general elections. She, however, made it clear to party leaders that she would not continue for another term after the organisational polls in the party. Rahul Gandhi has indicated on several occasions that he is not interested in taking the reins of the party at this point.