After a consistent delay, the elections for the next national president of the Indian National Congress (INC) will likely be held in September 2022, almost a year later, sources said on Saturday. The post of Congress president has remained vacant since party leader Rahul Gandhi resigned after the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Since then, Sonia Gandhi is leading the party as interim president.
Party general secretary KC Venugopal announced that the election of the AICC president will be held between August 21, 2022, and September 20, 2022.
Elections for Congress president to be held in September 2022: Sources pic.twitter.com/UBVtIHw1rA
— ANI (@ANI) October 16, 2021
Despite almost a year remaining for the elections to take place, Sonia Gandhi, the interim president of the Congress, today attempted to put herself forth as the only viable contender for the position. She made her intention clear at the key meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) that was chaired by interim party chief Sonia Gandhi and attended by 52 party leaders on Saturday, October 16.
Opening remarks of Congress President Smt. Sonia Gandhi at the CWC meeting:- pic.twitter.com/74K4qjGkZS
— Congress (@INCIndia) October 16, 2021
In her opening remarks at the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, Sonia Gandhi said: “I am, if you will allow me to say so, a full-time and hands-on Congress President.”
Sonia Gandhi added that in the last two years since she has taken up the role of the interim president she has never let any issue of public importance or concern go unaddressed.
“You are aware that I have been taking them up with the Prime Minister as have Dr Manmohan Singh and Rahul ji. I have been interacting with Like-minded political parties regularly. We have issued joint statements on national issues and coordinated our strategy in Parliament as well.
I have always appreciated frankness. There is no need to speak to me through the media. So let us all have a free and honest discussion”, added Sonia Gandhi, attempting to position oneself as the most deserving candidate for the position.
Notably, Congress was due to elect a full-fledged party president by June 2021 end. However, the CWC in its meeting held on May 10, 2021, had deferred the election citing the second wave of COVID-19. The party had then not fixed a timeline for the next election.
Rahul Gandhi to consider becoming Congress president
In the meantime, Rahul Gandhi has also said that he will consider becoming the Congress party president again. Reportedly, was requested by senior leaders to become the president at the CWC meeting today, and he said that he will consider the same. He also said that he needs clarity at the level of ideology from party leaders. The ANI report further added that some leaders suggested that Rahul Gandhi should become the working president till the elections for the post are held.
Senior party leader Ambika Soni said after the meeting that everyone in the party unanimously agreed that Rahul Gandhi should become the party president.
Sonia Gandhi never gave up Congress’ reigns
Interestingly, Sonia Gandhi has continued to be the interim President of Congress since August 2019 as the party has to date not elected a full-time party president.
She was made the ‘interim’ party president in 2019 after Rahul Gandhi had quit as party president after the defeat in the 2019 general elections. While Rahul Gandhi was adamant that the party president’s post should not go to a Gandhi and should go to a younger leader, eventually his 72-year-old mother was made the leader again.
Prior to him, Sonia Gandhi herself had held the post of party president till December 2017. In fact, she served as the party head for almost twenty years.
When she had become the Congress president for the first time in 1998, the then Congress chief Sitaram Kesri was reportedly locked up in a bathroom in Congress headquarters at Akbar Road so he could not stop Sonia Gandhi from entering the office with her supporters to take over as the party president.
After she was made the interim president of the party in 2019, her tenure had come to an end last year on 10th August 2020. However, she continued to be the interim President of Congress as the party had not elected a full-time party president till then.
