NEW DELHI: As the voices grow in the Congress for party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to take over the charge, many leaders said she has told the party categorically that she would want to continue focusing on building the party in Uttar Pradesh, a responsibility she was given ahead of the Lok Sabha elections by then Congress president Rahul Gandhi.
Many party leaders, including former Union minister Sriprakash Jaiswal, son of former president Pranab Mukherjee Abhijeet Mukherjee and Anil Shastri have batted for Priyanka leading the party after Rahul’s decision to step down.
These leaders have said a Gandhi at the helm of affairs was necessary to keep the grand old party united.
“Her name propped up even during the Congress Working Committee meeting on May 25, when Rahul announced his resignation. After that during several informal meetings of senior leadership, but both Rahul and Priyanka turned it down,” said a senior leader.
At the CWC meeting, Rahul had made it clear that the party should look for a non-Gandhi president.
Meanwhile, Priyanka has been meeting party workers from UP and is scheduled to visit the state next week, where a series of meetings with party workers are lined up.