Rahul to be AICC chief despite Cong debacles

NEW DELHI: After 70 sets of nominations, including two from Meghalaya, one by the chief minister and the other by the MPCC president, Rahul Gandhi is set to be elected as the next president of AICC in presence of all top party leaders despite a string of defeats in most parts of the country and recently in his home constituency Amethi.
Congress leaders, both young and old, were jubilant all through the nomination process that began in the morning. Congress chief ministers, including Mukul Sangma, and MPCC president DD Lapang had already arrived on Sunday night for the great event.
As the nomination process continued, hundreds of party workers gathered outside the party headquarters at 24, Akbar Road chanting slogans in support of Rahul.
The demand for Rahul’s elevation as party chief has been doing the rounds from before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, but he appeared to be reluctant to step up to the post.
Sonia would often respond that the decision to become party president was left to him.
She, however, served for 19 years seeing both the revival and dissemination of the grand old party all in a span of two decades.
Rahul’s elevation as president comes two weeks before election results in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat are announced. Rahul has campaigned extensively in Gujarat and the party’s performance in the state is likely to be an indicator of his leadership as this will be the first election results since his taking charge.
All top leaders of the party, most of the chief ministers and PCC presidents, CLP leaders, including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, were present at the AICC headquarters. Rahul was seen greeting most of them. He also took the blessings of former President Pranab Mukherjee at his residence.
The only feeble dissent came from a party worker, Shehzad Poonawalla, who called it a “black day” for the Indian National Congress. “This election is a farce,” he said and added that the party was fielding a “dummy” candidate against Rahul.
Poonawalla could not file his nomination since he is not a party delegate. Mukul and other delegates left on Monday while Lapang will come back on Tuesday.