The longest serving president of the Congress, Sonia Gandhi, will finally hand over the charge of the grand old party to M Mallikarjun Kharge, being the first non-Gandhi to head the outfit in 24 years.
Interestingly, former party chief Rahul Gandhi, who has taken a break from Bharat Jodo Yatra currently criss-crossing Andhra Pradesh, will be present on the occasion.
Rahul reached Delhi for the first time after he started padyatra from Kanyakumari on September 6 and will rejoin it on Thursday. The participation of all political members of the Gandhis, including Priyanka, is being seen as a move to galvanise the party.
The morale of party is upbeat against the backdrop of success of the Rahul-led padytara that has now covered one third of the 3,500 km of Kanyakumari to Kashmir route.
Hectic preparations were underway at the AICC headquarters lawns in the national Capital. Kharge defeated Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor in a direct contest for the top post in the grand old party after the Gandhis opted out of the race.
Kharge called on former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday.
He will begin his day on Wednesday with a visit to Rajghat, Shakti Sthal — the samadhi of former PM Indira Gandhi — and Vir Bhoomi, the samadhi of former PM Rajiv Gandhi.
Chairman of the central election authority of the Congress, Madhusudan Mistry, will formally hand over the election certificate to Kharge at the function. AICC members, party MPs, Pradesh Congress Committee presidents, CLP leaders, former CMs, former State presidents and other AICC office bearers are invited to the programme.
With the Congress now remaining in power in only two States -- Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh -- on its own and in partnership as a junior partner in Jharkhand, Kharge’s first challenge is to bring the party to power in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat, which go to polls in the next few weeks. Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh are on November 12 but the dates for Gujarat are yet to be announced.
Kharge’s election also comes at a time the party is reeling under internal rumblings and high-profile exits after a series of electoral debacles.
