New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi is poised to be elected unopposed as Congress president. The Nehru-Gandhi scion will take over from his mother Sonia Gandhi, who led the party during the past 19 years after the death of her husband Rajiv Gandhi.

The Congress party is choosing Rahul, 47, through an internal election process in which an electoral college comprising of 9,000 Pradesh Congress delegates representing blocks across the country endorsed him as the party president.

Scrutiny of papers will be done by 3pm on Tuesday and if they are found to be in order, and no other delegate files nomination papers, Rahul will be declared unopposed.

Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh were the main proposers for Rahul Gandhi. Congress election authority chairman Mullappally Ramachandran said 89 sets of nominations have been filed for the Congress president’s post, all in Rahul’s name. A 3.00pm deadline passed without a challenge.

Congress leaders Kamal Nath, Sheila Dikshit, Motilal Vora and Tarun Gogoi filed first set of nominations as proposers for Rahul. With Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh away in Kerala, top Himachal Pradesh Congress leaders led by state unit president Sukhwinder Sukhu and senior minister Vidya Stokes on Monday filed nomination papers proposing the name of Rahul.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi mocked the election as “Aurangzeb rule.” “I congratulate the Congress on their ‘Aurangzeb Raj.’ For us, the well-being of the people matters and 125 crore Indians are our high command,” he said.

Senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar said: “Don’t compare both, during Mughal rule it was understood that after Jehangir, Aurangzeb will be the leader but here anyone is free to contest against Rahul Gandhi, its a totally democratic process.” Maharashtra Congress leader Shehzad Poonawalla offered a dissent, saying the elections are “rigged.” “Congress had “no place for Shehzad, but for shehzada (prince),” he said.

“I openly invite Poonawalla to file the nomination and contest,” Aiyar said.

Meanwhile, the Congress released its manifesto for Gujarat elections, promising a stipend to jobless young people, reservation in jobs and education to Patidars. Promises also include cut in petrol and diesel prices.

The party pledged an unemployment allowance of up to Rs4,000 a month for each jobless youth in the state. The Congress has been highlighting what it alleged rising unemployment and shrinking job opportunities in BJP-ruled Gujarat and the country in general.

The manifesto promises reservation in jobs and education to Patidars under a special category. A bill will be introduced in the state assembly.

The Patidar vote could become a deciding factor this election. The BJP is unsure about the unflinching support of Patidars that can influence results in more than 60 of 182 assembly constituencies.

Gujarat, where the Congress is out of power for 22 years, goes to the polls on Dec.9 and 14. Results will be declared on Dec.18.

The party pledges social sector benefits for other backward classes (OBCs) and weaker sections of society. The Congress is trying win over the OBCs, who comprise 146 castes and make up around 40 per cent of the state’s about 60-million people. Alpesh Thakore, a Dalit leader, joined the party in the run-up to the elections.