CWC meet soon to clear Rahul Gandhi’s November elevation
, ET Bureau|
Updated: Oct 31, 2017, 12.44 AM IST
NEW DELHI: Congress president Sonia Gandhi will soon convene a meeting of the Congress Working Committee which will clear the election schedule for elevating Rahul Gandhi as the new party president next month.
This was decided at a meeting of AICC office-bearers on Monday after AICC general secretaries and party incharges of some states told Rahul Gandhi that they wanted the election of new party president to be completed without further delay.
The move, incidentally, came on a day when the last of state PCCs, Kerala, passed a resolution seeking Rahul’s elevation. “Once the CWC meets, it will take just about 10 days to complete the formality of electing the new president,” said a functionary familiar with the process.
ET had reported that in anticipation of Gandhi’s elevation, around Indira Gandhi’s birth centenary, the AICC has lined up a mega rally at Karnataka’s Chikmagalur between November 19 and 21, to make it Rahul Gandhi’s first major public outing as Congress president-elect.
Once his formal election is done, he will assume charge at an AICC plenary session by the yearend. The tentative schedule would be post Himachal polls and ahead of Parliament session and when election campaign to Gujarat would be at its peak.
Following the party officebearers expression of desire, it was decided that the party president will be approached soon to convene a CWC meeting, which is likely to be held next week, if not earlier, where the schedule of the party president’s elections will be cleared, setting in motion the last round of formalities in elevating Rahul Gandhi to succeed Sonia Gandhi who has held the post for 19 years.
“Once CWC clears the election schedule, nomination papers can be filed and in case there is only one candidate, his election can be announced soon after the deadline for withdrawal of nomination is over,” an AICC general secretary told the meeting about the expected proceedings.
Since the tentative scheduled for electing the new party chief set by Central Election Authority Mullappally Ramachandran had already expired, there are now two possibilities: Either the party chief will ask CEA to present a fresh schedule ahead of the CWC meet, or the party’s highest decision-making body would modify schedule presented before the party chief.
Rahul Gandhi is slated to make a three-day tour of South Gujarat, including Surat, from November 1.
Traders in the region are reportedly upset about GST and demonetisation-related issues. During Rahul’s visit, Congress and Patidar outfit led by Hardik are expected to ink an electoral deal with Congress making a promise on job reservation for economically backward castes.
This was decided at a meeting of AICC office-bearers on Monday after AICC general secretaries and party incharges of some states told Rahul Gandhi that they wanted the election of new party president to be completed without further delay.
The move, incidentally, came on a day when the last of state PCCs, Kerala, passed a resolution seeking Rahul’s elevation. “Once the CWC meets, it will take just about 10 days to complete the formality of electing the new president,” said a functionary familiar with the process.
ET had reported that in anticipation of Gandhi’s elevation, around Indira Gandhi’s birth centenary, the AICC has lined up a mega rally at Karnataka’s Chikmagalur between November 19 and 21, to make it Rahul Gandhi’s first major public outing as Congress president-elect.
Once his formal election is done, he will assume charge at an AICC plenary session by the yearend. The tentative schedule would be post Himachal polls and ahead of Parliament session and when election campaign to Gujarat would be at its peak.
Following the party officebearers expression of desire, it was decided that the party president will be approached soon to convene a CWC meeting, which is likely to be held next week, if not earlier, where the schedule of the party president’s elections will be cleared, setting in motion the last round of formalities in elevating Rahul Gandhi to succeed Sonia Gandhi who has held the post for 19 years.
“Once CWC clears the election schedule, nomination papers can be filed and in case there is only one candidate, his election can be announced soon after the deadline for withdrawal of nomination is over,” an AICC general secretary told the meeting about the expected proceedings.
Since the tentative scheduled for electing the new party chief set by Central Election Authority Mullappally Ramachandran had already expired, there are now two possibilities: Either the party chief will ask CEA to present a fresh schedule ahead of the CWC meet, or the party’s highest decision-making body would modify schedule presented before the party chief.
Rahul Gandhi is slated to make a three-day tour of South Gujarat, including Surat, from November 1.
Traders in the region are reportedly upset about GST and demonetisation-related issues. During Rahul’s visit, Congress and Patidar outfit led by Hardik are expected to ink an electoral deal with Congress making a promise on job reservation for economically backward castes.
