The Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party's highest decision-making body, will hold a virtual meeting on Sunday to approve the exact schedule of dates for the election of the Congress president even as Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s name for the top post gained traction.
A non-Gandhi as president is also being planned to blunt Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP’s attacks against the party and the Gandhis for pursuing ‘dynastic politics’. Gehlot sought to downplay speculation that he could be made Congress chief, saying nobody knows what will be decided. Gehlot's meeting with Sonia led to the buzz that the two may have discussed the possibility of him being the next party president. Asked about the possibility of him being Congress president, Gehlot said, "This has been doing the rounds in the media for a long time. You keep talking about it. Nobody knows what is going to be decided."
The veteran Congress leader added that he is concentrating on the two responsibilities given to him -- senior observer for the upcoming Gujarat assembly polls and chief minister of Rajasthan.
In a scenario of having a non-Gandhi president, the possibility of the G-23 grouping putting up a candidate against Gehlot too is not being ruled out. Besides Gehlot, the names of Mallikarjun Kharge, Kamal Nath, K C Venugopal, Meira Kumar, Mukul Wasnik and Kumari Selja have been doing the rounds.
"A virtual meeting of the CWC will be held on the 28th August, 2022 at 3:30 PM, to approve the exact schedule of dates for the election of the Congress president.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi will preside over the CWC meeting," Congress general secretary in-charge organisation K C Venugopal said. Congress president will join the meeting virtually from abroad as she is travelling for medical check-ups. Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi are also accompanying her.
The party did not divulge any specific date of travel or their places of visit but said Rahul Gandhi will address the Congress' 'Mehangai Par Halla Bol' on September 4, 2022 scheduled in the national Capital. "The Congress president will also visit her ailing mother before she returns to New Delhi," Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a statement.
Their visit abroad comes at a time when the party is prepping for its Kanyakumari to Kashmir 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' starting September 7. It also comes ahead of the election of party president, the schedule for which is expected to be out this week.
Several leaders, including Gehlot, have been publicly exhorting Rahul Gandhi to become party chief again. However, uncertainty and suspense continue on issue. Several party insiders say Rahul is persisting with his stance that he will not be AICC president. Rahul had resigned as Congress president after the party suffered its second consecutive defeat in parliamentary elections in 2019. Sonia Gandhi who took over the reins of the party again as interim president had also offered to quit in August 2020 after an open revolt by a section of leaders, referred to as G-23, but the CWC had urged her to continue.