Sonia Gandhi to become Congress President? Here's what she said
Ever since Rahul Gandhi resigned as Congress President, party leaders are itching for a replacement. While many begged Rahul to reconsider his decision, others looked towards party veterans to take up the mantle. Some even turned to former party president Sonia Gandhi to take charge as interim president. Here's what Ms. Gandhi had to say.
Sonia 'did not rule out' the possibility of being chief
When questioned by NDTV if she would serve as interim president to the Congress party, Sonia (72) reportedly "did not rule it out." However, the report added, that Sonia has told her close aides that she will not fill in as Congress President, as she cannot accept that challenge. She had previously served as Congress President from 1998-2017.
Congress fails to reach consensus over next chief
To note, since Rahul's exit, the party has tried many tricks to get him to withdraw his resignation, but he was adamant to take responsibility for the Congress' poor performance in the recent Lok Sabha polls. Thereafter, the party has failed to reach consensus over a replacement. Reports suggested the party might nominate senior leaders Sushil Kumar Shinde or Mallikarjun Kharge to succeed Rahul.
Many top leaders, including Jyotiraditya Scindia, Milind Deora, quit party
With a power vacuum at the very top, the Congress party's influence has been waning as many have deserted the party. All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Jyotiraditya Scindia and Mumbai party chief Milind Deora were some of the top leaders to have resigned. Deora's resignation is especially ill-timed as the Maharashtra assembly elections are barely three months away.
Congress stronghold weakening in other states
Meanwhile, in other states, too, the Congress lies in disarray. Reports of infighting within the party in Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan have surfaced. Additionally, the Congress-JDS alliance in Karnataka dwindles amid a flurry of resignations from MLAs, as BJP moves forward with 'Operation Lotus' to overthrow the state government. Separately, 10 out of 15 Congress lawmakers in Goa have also moved to BJP.
