Maha Congress, Mumbai unit pass resolutions to appoint Rahul Gandhi as party chief

With the notification of the Congress president polls just days away, the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) on Monday passed a unanimous resolution for appointing Rahul Gandhi as the national president of the party.

A similar resolution was passed by the Mumbai Regional Congress Committee (MRCC) in a separate meeting, the party said.

A party statement said Rahul Gandhi is a national leader who is vigorously taking on Narendra Modi government's "anti-people" policies.

The resolution was passed in a meeting of 553 delegates of the MPCC held at the YB Chavan centre in South Mumbai.

The Congress units in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, the only two states where the party is in government on its own, have passed resolutions that Rahul Gandhi be made the party's president. Also, the Gujarat Congress on Sunday demanded that Rahul Gandhi be made the party chief.

The resolution was moved by former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan and seconded by senior leaders including Naseem Khan and Chandrakant Handore, which was unanimously passed, a Congress statement said.

Notably, Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole moved a resolution authorising the Congress president to appoint a state unit chief, office-bearers and AICC delegates.

This resolution was seconded by Congress Legislature Party leader Balasaheb Thorat and was unanimously passed.

The meeting took place in the presence of the state returning officer for the organizational polls Pallam Raju, state in-charge HK Patil, former CMs Ashok Chavan, Prithviraj Chavan, and Patole.

The nomination process for the Congress president's election will begin on September 24. The election will be held on October 17, if necessary.

In a separate meeting, the Mumbai unit also resolved to authorise the All India Congress Committee (AICC) president to take all decisions related to the organisation.

A meeting of 296 delegates from Mumbai was held in the presence of returning officer Kiran Chaudhary and state in-charge HK Patil.

The resolution to appoint Rahul Gandhi as the Congress president was moved by Mumbai Congress working president Charanjit Singh Sapra and seconded by former city president Milind Deora.

The city unit president Bhai Jagtap moved a resolution that the AICC president be authorized to take all decisions regarding the organisation. The resolution was seconded by former Mumbai Congress president Sanjay Nirupam.