Congress Top Body Urges Rahul Gandhi To Become Party President, But It Can Only Happen Next Year

Congress’ top decision-making body, the Congress Working Committee, assembled today (7 November 2016) for a meeting presided, in a rare event, by the 46-year-old Congress No 2, Rahul Gandhi. The party president, Sonia Gandhi, was reportedly unwell and couldn’t be present at the meeting.

Significantly, Rahul was urged at the event by his party members to take up the role of party president.

According to an NDTV report, “The group "unanimously appealed" to Mr Gandhi to serve as President, a post his mother, Sonia Gandhi, has held since 1998.”

While this appeal from the party members may not be new, as Rahul has been repeatedly asked to take up the top job, this development is significant in light of the fact that under Rahul, Congress has performed quite poorly electorally, as was evident in the 2014 general election and the Assam and Kerala state elections thereafter. Next year, several important elections are set to come up, including in Uttar Pradesh.

However, with Congress deciding to move elections for party posts to next year, Rahul will have to wait a year to assume the role of party president. Till then, Sonia will continue to lead the party affairs from the front.