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Sonia Gandhi to return as interim Congress Chief

Sonia Gandhi to become the interim Congress President
Sonia Gandhi to become the interim Congress President

Sonia Gandhi is expected to return as the interim Congress president, merely 20 months after she had stepped down from the post.

Sonia Gandhi is likely to helm the party out of troubled waters after the Congress Working Committee (CWC) asked her to lead the party. After 12 hours of contemplation, the CWC asked Sonia Gandhi to lead the party.

Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi were the three names discussed during the meeting, as per reports. Earlier, there were reports that the names of Mallikarjun Kharge and Mukul Wasnik were being considered. However, their names did not come up during discussions, according to sources.

Five sub-groups were formed by the CWC for the consultation process of the next Congress President. When the CWC meeting was held again on Saturday, all the sub-groups reiterated Rahul Gandhi’s name, while a few backed Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Congress leaders attempted to convince Mr Gandhi to change his decision. Ms Vadra even phoned Rahul Gandhi and asked him to lead the party. “Sonia Gandhi told us that Mr. Gandhi will not come here because he doesn’t want to be bullied by the CWC into changing his mind,” a CWC member averred.

“Regretfully, Rahul Gandhi ji has stuck to his decision to resign but it is an honour to have Smt Sonia Gandhi ji as our party president. I look forward to working under their combined leadership!” Con MP Jyotiraditya Scindia opined on Twitter.

No timeline on when the next election would be conducted to select the party president was outlined during the CWC meeting. The party’s constitution also does not mention a timeline for an interim or provisional president. On May 25, Rahul Gandhi promulgated his decision to quit as the party president, following Congress’ loss in the Lok Sabha Elections.

Also read: http://diplomacybeyond.com/president-confers-bharat-ratna-on-former-president-pranab-mukherjee/