New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi is set to be Congress president in place of his mother Sonia Gandhi. He was elected unopposed after the last day for filing nominations passed on Monday without any challenger emerging. An official announcement is expected on Tuesday as the party is “completing all processes”, sources said.
Gandhi, who has been the Congress’ vice-president for almost five years, filed nomination papers at the party’s 24 Akbar Road headquarters in Delhi in an elaborate process as the party sought to emphasise that he is being democratically elected amid allegations by the BJP of dynastic politics. Outgoing Congress chief Sonia Gandhi was the first to nominate her son, though she signed the papers not at the party office but at her home next door. Sonia Gandhi has been the party’s longest serving president, having led the Congress for 19 years since 1998.
A total 89 nominations were filed for Gandhi since Monday morning by various Congress leaders and workers from across the country. The 47-year-old first met former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and former President Pranab Mukherjee, to seek their blessings, party sources said, and then went to the party office, where he was seen hugging veteran Congress leaders Sheila Dikshit and Mohsina Kidwai.
“Rahul Gandhi is a darling of the Congress and he will carry forward the great traditions of the party,” said Dr Manmohan Singh.
Meanwhile, at an election rally in Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a swipe at Gandhi. “I congratulate the Congress on their ‘Aurangzeb Raj.’ For us, the well-being of the people matters and 125 crore Indians are our high command,” he said.
PM Modi said he was quoting Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar. “Mani Shankar Aiyar asked ‘did elections happen during Mughal rule? After Jehangir, Shahjahan came, was any election held? After Shahjahan it was understood Aurangzeb will be the leader’. So the Congress accepts it’s a family party? We don’t want this Aurangzeb rule,” said the Prime Minister who has pitched the Gujarat elections as a battle between “vikaswaad (development) and vanshwad (dynasty).
