Congress may name Rahul Gandhi as PM pick

The Congress will be holding a meeting of the AICC in New Delhi on January 17 where party vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s name is likely to be discussed for the party’s prime ministerial candidate.

The Congress will be holding a meeting of the AICC in New Delhi on January 17 where party vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s name is likely to be discussed for the party’s prime ministerial candidate. The meeting will also chalk out Congress strategy for the upcoming challenge of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

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Party general secretary Janardan Dwivedi announced the schedule for the AICC meet on Monday but played down speculations about Rahul’s possible elevation and dismissed questions about it as ‘illogical’.

The Congress prefers to maintain its usual veil of secrecy, particularly on matters related to Gandhi family members, but sources told HT that the demand by party ranks to name Rahul Gandhi as its PM candidate will certainly be an underlying theme of the meet.

The desperation within the Congress to project Rahul as PM pick grew after the drubbing of the party in the recent assembly polls where it had to bite the dust in all four states. Rahul, however, has maintained that he is not keen for the top job and prefers to rejig the organisation.

The AICC meet will be the last mega gathering of the Congress ahead of the 2014 polls.

The last AICC meeting was held in Jaipur in January, which saw the elevation of Rahul Gandhi as the party vice-president. A decision that had surprised many.