By Devika Bedi
Congress spokesperson Sachin Pilot stated that the Gandhi scion Rahul Gandhi should and will be their party president post this years Diwali celebrations. Speaking further on the matter, Congress leader Sandeep Dixit said the dates are not certain, but there is a system in place for the partys election. As soon as [the] system gets over, obviously the new president will be elected. Almost everyone in the Congress is of the view that Rahul Gandhi should and will take over as our president. Another Congress leader Shakeel Ahmed reportedly seconded the same. This has come five years after Gandhi was appointed as the vice-president of the party in Jaipur in 2013. He had assured in Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting last year that he was ready and willing to be president. He was reassured by more than 30 members of the party that the presidents job is his to take.
Sonia Gandhi’s legacy
In Congresss 132-year-old history of which it has survived in the United Progressive Alliance for 10 years, Sonia Gandhi has served as President for 19 years before Rahul could take oath as the new official face of the party. Sonia Gandhi will reportedly remain part of Congress apex decision-making body CWC and will likely be the chairperson of the partys parliamentary board. Out of 21 seats in the CWC, 10 will be nominated, another 10 will have to be elected, and the 21st seat will be that of the president. While many organisational tasks are being gradually handed over to her son, Sonia Gandhi and her team have often been complained about preventing and hindering Gandhi from taking stands and important decisions.
Next challenges
Intraparty, the mood will be more democratic with Gandhi appointing a fresh and shuffled team for 2019 elections. The party may see many new faces while some old ones will continue serving. Also, no general secretary will be in charge of more than one state and will be assisted by a few more secretaries. The 46-year-olds next challenge is the UP elections in which Congress had bagged mere 26 out of 403 seats in state elections last year. He has recently targeted the prime minister for his inefficient and incomplete attempt to do justice to the OROP stakeholders.
As the party should and currently focused on Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh elections, a significant end to the skirmishes between Rahul Gandhi and the senior leaders of the party will be favourable. It is high time the party takes a strong standnot only as a strong opposition but also if it dreams of taking Lok Sabha in its shrine.
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