Rahul Gandhi breaks silence on returning as Congress chief: 'Leave to electoral process'

As Congress prepares for their presidential elections, interim-chief Sonia Gandhi held a meeting with 30 top leaders on the path ahead for the party in a "constructive" atmosphere. According to ANI sources, the demand for Rahul Gandhi to take over the top post was raised at the meeting, to which the ex-Congress chief said that it must be left to the electoral process. Congress will hold a Chintan Shibir (brainstorming session)  in Pachmarhi or Shimla, revealed former Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan, after the meeting.

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Rahul Gandhi: "Leave it to electoral process"

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Recent CEA meeting 

In the last Congress' Central Election Authority (CEA) meeting, updating party delegates’ list, logistical preparedness and time frame for notifying the poll schedule and date of voting were discussed, as per reports. The party is set to hold another Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting before deciding the date for the elections. Reports state that Congress will choose its next chief in a digital AICC meeting via the electoral college process in January-February 2021 and hence Sonia Gandhi is set to meet some of the prominent members of the 'dissenters', who had written to her demanding an overhaul of the party, on December 19-20.

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As per reports, CEA is drawing up a voters list of around 1500 AICC delegates and is planning to hold digital elections, marking a first. Though the election is for the Congress chief, similar to the 2017 elections, the term of the presidency will be only for 2 years. Recently, quashing all internal dissent, after a stormy Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, the grand-old party retained Sonia Gandhi as party chief passing a resolution strengthening the Gandhis' leadership and not allowing anyone to undermine the party or the Gandhis (Rahul and Sonia). 

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Congress president saga

Congress has been in a leadership dilemma since Rahul Gandhi quit as party chief in the post-Lok Sabha 2019 debacle. This led to a barrage of resignations from posts like Milind Deora, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Priyanka Chaturvedi and many more. Amidst a lot of turmoil with Priyanka Vadra too being considered, Congress finally went back to their safe option- Sonia Gandhi. Most leaders have time and again implored the 50-year-old Rahul Gandhi to take back the reins of the party, but he has not budged. 23 senior leaders sought 'structural changes', internal election to the CWC even at state levels, the formation of an Independent Election Authority, and institutional leadership mechanism, full-time leadership at the helm at the party.