Rahul can retain Wayanad, albeit with a reduced margin
The CPI has fielded its senior leader, Annie Raja, against Rahul Gandhi while the BJP’s Kerala unit chief, K Surendran, is also in the fray thus making it a three-way battle
The Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting being held on Saturday in New Delhi to elect the new party chief has ended. Following the meeting, Rae Bareli MP and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi told reporters she and Rahul Gandhi are not a part of the five region-wise groups formed in the CWC to elect the new party chief.
“Rahul and I cannot participate in the election of the new party chief. Putting our names is not good,” she told reporters while the outgoing Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said, “I am going to Wayanad tomorrow for two days as the condition is very disturbing there.”
The meeting which began at 11 am was attended by Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, former prime minister Manmohan Singh and senior party leaders Anand Sharma, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Sachin Pilot, Ahmed Patel, P Chidambaram and others.
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The CWC has been divided into five region-wise groups to hold talks with the state in-charges, state chiefs, AICC department chairman, party MPs and build a consensus on the name of the new party chief.
The name will be finalised on Sunday after all the five groups have submitted their recommendations, said a senior party leader.
Bhupinder Singh Hooda, the two-time former chief minister of Haryana, in an exclusive interview to The Statesman, said that any uncertainty over the party president should be over soon as it is not good for the party.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had in July said that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra would be the right choice for the post of Congress President, further adding that if the outgoing party chief Rahul Gandhi suggests Priyanka’s name for the top post, the party would extend its full support.
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