Congress mum on party rejig, Rahul Gandhi elevation

The AICC is silent about the timing of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s elevation, a CWC meeting and an impending reshuffle in the party at a time when Rahul loyalists are mounting pressure on the scion of the Gandhi family to take complete charge of the “grand old party”.

Matters could become clearer in a day or two, a well-placed source said Wednesday.

Although Mr Gandhi’s elevation is a foregone conclusion since there is no challenge to his leadership, the issue is how he will return the party to power by fighting the BJP and regional parties against a backdrop of a series of electoral defeats since 2014.

“Rahul Gandhi’s elevation does not mean Sonia Gandhi’s retirement from active politics,” said some party officials.

In Rae Bareli, Congress president Sonia Gandhi did not respond to questions on media reports about Congress members wanting party vice-president Rahul Gandhi to take over as the party president.

In New Delhi, AICC spokesperson Sushmita Dev said, “We are a national party. There are certain procedures... When it comes to Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, we all wholeheartedly accept (their leadership) ... We all want Rahul to take over, as and when we will make a proper statement,” Ms Dev told reporters.