New Delhi: Election to the post of Congress president has kicked up a debate across the country after Rahul Gandhi refused to assume the mantle again. He resigned from the post after the party’s debacle in the Lok Sabha election of 2019. Rahul Gandhi also said none from the Gandhi family would head the party.
Now that the Congress is getting ready to elect its president next month, former Union Finance Minister and a senior leader P Chidambaram was in favour of consensus for the post of president of the All-India Congress Committee (AICC). Whether Rahul Gandhi is president or not he will always have a “pre-eminent place” in the party, as he is the “acknowledged leader” of the rank and file, Chidambaram said.
Although Rahul Gandhi has, so far, declined to take over the mantle of the party presidency, he may change his mind, he said. Chidambaram made the statement just days ahead of the notification of polls to elect AICC president. He further said that there was no scope for putting a question mark on the fairness and transparency of the party president’s polls.
He said that the PCC-wise electoral roll would be available for inspection at the office of the PCC concerned. Similarly, the all-India electoral roll would be available at the AICC office, Chidambaram said, adding that every nominated candidate would be entitled to a copy of the electoral roll.
Lok members Sashi Tharoor, Manish Tewari, Karti Chidambaram, Pradyut Bordoloi and Abdul Khaleque had written a letter to the head of the election committee Madhusudan Mistry on the issue of electoral rolls. But Mistry clarified every point to those who wanted to vie for the post of party president, Chidambaram said. The list containing the names of 9,000 PCC delegates will be available at the office of the AICC’s central election authority from September 20.
