The stage is set to make Rahul Gandhi as Congress president. The all-powerful Congress Working Committee that met in New Delhi on Monday had resolved to elevate the 47-year-old Gandhi-Nehru family scion to the position of party president. But it was made clear that he would move to the top in accordance with Congress party constitution.
Accordingly, a notification will be issued on December 1, nominations will be received until December 4 and they can be withdrawn before December 11, election will be held on December 16 and vote counting, if any, is on December 19. All these formalities will be observed only if Rahul’s candidature is challenged. There is no such possibility as Rahul Gandhi was anointed long ago. In fact, he has been the de facto party chief ever since his mother and the incumbent Congress president Sonia Gandhi has not been keeping well for some time.
Therefore, it’s a foregone conclusion that Rahul will take over from Sonia –officially – most probably on December 5, the day on which nomination papers will be scrutinised. Since there won’t be any challenger, he will be declared Congress president.
Some party leaders and cadre have been demanding his elevation for a long time, hoping to project him as the Congress candidate for prime minister in 2019. Though he is butt of ridicule and a favourite subject for cartoonists and memes, his recent poll campaign in Gujarat has impressed even some of his adversaries.
Thus, Rahul’s elevation, just a few days before the first phase of Gujarat Assembly election on December 9, is expected to boost Congress winning chances in Prime Minister Modi’s home state. If Rahul can pull it off, the victory will be the greatest in post-Independence history as it will bring Congress to power after 22 years in that state and raises hopes and expectations of Congress returning to power at the Centre.
That possibility can’t be pooh-poohed considering the way BJP is running the country with misplaced priorities. If Congress comes to power, even in Gujarat, it’s not because its governance will be better than that of the saffron party, but to punish BJP.
