Rahul Gandhi Elected Party Chief Unopposed, Says Congress
December 11, 2017
NEW DELHI: Rahul Gandhi is set to take over as the chief of Congress, with the party today formally announcing his election as the party president. Mr Gandhi was the only one to file nomination last week and has been elected unopposed, said Congress’s Mullappally Ramachandran.
Mr Gandhi, who is currently campaigning in Gujarat, is set to take over next Saturday — two days after the second phase of polling for the hotly-contested assembly elections.
The 47-year-old would be the fifth person from the Nehru-Gandhi family to take charge of India’s grand old party. His elevation comes amid a cloud of allegations about “dynastic rule” in the Congress.
On the eve of the nominations, some opposition came from Shehzad Poonawalla, a party leader in Maharashtra. Mr Poonawalla had alleged that the party’s organisational election was a sham, since Rahul Gandhi enjoys an “unfair advantage”. He also suggested that Mr Gandhi resign his post as the party’s vice president to level the field.(Agencies)
