New Delhi: The grand old party is preparing for a massive show of strength in Bengaluru on November 7 where Rahul Gandhi’s coronation as the new party chief will formally take place at an All India Congress Committee (AICC) session.
The process for electing the new Congress chief will be completed by the end of this month, said a senior party functionary. The November 7 event has been planned in Bengaluru as it will help the party ahead of the April 2018 assembly elections in Karnataka, where the party is trying hard to retain power.
Karnataka is the only big state the Congress rules at present, and it makes sense to herald a new era in the 130-year-old party in its stronghold Bengaluru. Chief Minister K Siddaramaiah had offered to host the event when he met Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
In 2013, the party had organised a similar AICC session in Rajasthan’s Jaipur, where the Congress Working Committee (CWC) passed a resolution appointing Rahul as vice-president. AICC dele-gates endorsed the decision the next day.
In this case, AICC delegates will merely endorse Rahul’s status as the new power centre, which will be decided through an internal election process. Rahul is also expected to unveil his new team, probably a mix of youth and experience, and outline his agenda to counter the BJP ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, sources said.
Congress managers are now preparing the ground for Rahul’s promotion by a series of resolutions by state units urging him to take over as party chief. The move will send a message that the leader is not being foisted from the top and that support has come from the rank and file.
Meanwhile, many feel Sonia, who has served as party chief since 1998, must be thanked for steering the Congress through difficult times. “She faced challenges head on and succeeded in reviving the party,” said former CWC member Gurudas Kamat. “I fully support Rahulji as party president.”
Handing It Out
The event has been planned in Bengaluru as it will help the party ahead of the April 2018 assembly elections in Karnataka
Karnataka is the only big state the Congress rules at present
Chief Minister
K Siddaramaiah had offered to host the event
Rahul is expected to unveil his new team, probably a mix of youth and experience, and outline his agenda to counter the BJP
ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections