At Key Congress Meet Today, A Decision On Elections For New Chief

The highest decision-making body of the Congress is expected to give the go-ahead for an organisational election for a full-term chief rather than an interim poll for the post of president when the party’s Working Committee meets today, sources have told NDTV.

Sonia Gandhi, who was named interim chief following the resignation of son Rahul Gandhi over the 2019 election debacle, is expected to continue till the entire process of fresh memberships and a full-fledged election takes place from the district to the national level, the said.

This decision will have to be endorsed at the Congress Working Committee or CWC meeting with some members like Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma – part of the group of dissenters termed ‘G-23’ – asking for internal elections in the party.

The overwhelming view amongst most CWC members is to have a membership drive and internal elections from the grassroots to the top and elect a president for a full term and not for a short period till December 2022, sources said.

With crucial state elections expected to take place in early 2022, many leaders feel the focus should be on winning these polls rather than have an interim election for the post of party president.

The CWC is unlikely to discuss any disciplinary issues but will definitely discuss the upcoming state elections and the need for unity amongst all factions in the party to take on the BJP in various states.

The Congress’s internal strife made front-page headlines last year after the G-23 wrote an unprecedented letter to Sonia Gandhi asking for sweeping changes in the party and a “visible and effective leadership”.

Since then, various leaders have reminded the Gandhis that nothing has changed on the ground and the Congress down spiral continues even as it handles turmoil in state units from Punjab to Chhattisgarh.

The Congress has also been steadily losing a string of leaders like Amarinder Singh, Sushmita Dev and Luizinho Faleiro. The nosebleed started when Jyotiraditya Scindia, one of Rahul Gandhi’s closest confidantes, switched to the BJP last year. Earlier this year, Jitin Prasada followed. In Rajasthan, the party has yet to resolve the Ashok Gehlot versus Sachin Pilot feud.