Hyderabad, Oct 13 (PTI) Congress vice president RahulGandhi has given "excellent hope" for the party to make acomeback in poll-bound Gujarat through his leadership, seniorleader M Veerappa Moily said.
Moily, however, was not sure whether Gandhi would takeover as the Congress president before the Himachal Pradeshassembly elections, scheduled on November 9.
"That can't be said, there is a process, you know," hesaid.
The former Union minister expressed confidence thatGandhi would be the "face of the country" in 2019 and becomeprime minister.
On the Congress's prospects in the upcoming electionsin Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, he said his party woulddefinitely return to power in the western state, and that hesees "no problems".
"As far as Gujarat is concerned, Rahulji has undertaken avery intense tour there," Moily told PTI.
"Originally it (Gujarat) was a Congress state (beforeBJP came to power), but now I think the Congress will repeatits success definitely with greater vigour because we have thechances and Rahulji has, in particular, given excellent hopeand leadership in Gujarat. The Congress will come back in boththe states," he said.
The Congress leader said the organisational electionsare in the "final stages".
Asked if there will be contenders against Rahul Gandhifor the party president's post, Moily said, "It's not ananswer I should give you. He (Rahul Gandhi) will be thepresident.""Things (under Rahul Gandhi as Congress president)will change radically; he will give a new face. He has enoughexperience in the party as also in government. He will be thereal face of the country in 2019 and come back as primeminister," Moily said.
On the view that the Congress is facing an "existentialcrisis", he said the party's opponents have been putting forthsuch arguments for a long time now.
"We are not bothered about it. The Congress alwaysemerges back; whenever people can think that they can finishit off, the Congress always emerges successfully. There isno problem," he said.
Moily had hinted in September that Rahul Gandhi mayassume charge as party president this month.
"Everybody (in the Congress) feels it is (his elevation)delayed. Now, he (Rahul) is waiting for the organisationalelections. He would like to emerge as the president of AllIndia Congress Committee (AICC) only out of the electionprocess," he had said last month. PTI RS GKBSA.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.