NEW DELHI: The Congress Working Committee (CWC) is scheduled to meet on August 10 to choose the next Congress president. After a gap of 21 years, the grand old party may see a non-Gandhi at the helm of affairs.
Owing responsibility for the party’s debacle in Lok Sabha elections, Rahul Gandhi had tendered his resignation as the Congress chief on May 25 at the CWC meeting held and had insisted that the party should choose a new president. “It has been decided to hold the next Congress Working Committee Meeting on Saturday, 10th of August 11 am at AICC,” tweeted KC Venugopal, AICC organisational in charge.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi has already turned down the offer after a few party members took her name for the top job at a meeting held Thursday. Sitaram Kesri was the last party chief not belonging to the Gandhi clan. According to party sources, the party may choose an interim chief and later elect a full-time president.
Names of several other party leaders such as Mukul Wasnik Dalit and Sushil Kumar Shinde, both Dalit leaders, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot and young leaders such as Sachin Pilot and Jyotiraditya Scindia are doing the rounds.