he Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party’s highest decision-making authority, on Sunday held a virtual meeting and decided that the election for the Congress president post will be held on October 17 and the counting of the votes and the results will be declared on October 19.
The CWC meeting was held to decide the election schedule for the party president’s post.
The schedule for the presidential election of the Congress president was approved in the CWC meeting.
The meeting was chaired by party interim president Sonia Gandhi. The meeting was also attended by Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh also attended the meeting via virtual mode.
This meeting came in the backdrop of the party’s senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad’s resignation on Friday.
Congress Election Authority Chairman Madhusudan Mistry announced the dates of the polling process after approval from the CWC, in its meeting held virtually and attended by G23 leader Anand Sharma, who had recently quit as the chief of a party panel for the upcoming Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections.
“It (CWC) considered and approved the following final schedule of dates suggested by the Central Election Authority of the AICC for election to the post of Congress President,” a party statement said.
The date of issuance of notification is September 22, nominations can be filed from between 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. from September 24 to 30 while scrutiny will be done on October 1. Last date of withdrawal is October 8 and the date of polling is from 10 a.m to 4 p.m. on October 17 at all PCC headquarters. Counting will be held on October 19.
“The CWC reiterated its resolve to make the Mehangai Par Halla Bol rally in New Delhi on September 4 and the launch of the Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari on September 7 and its continuation thereafter a resounding success,” the party statement said.
The CWC extended its best wishes to party president Sonia Gandhi, who is abroad for a medical checkup, for a full and speedy recovery.
Meanwhile, veteran Congress leader M Mallikarjun Kharge said Rahul Gandhi should take the lead of the grand old party since he has the ability to lift the party from the crisis.
Speaking to a news agency, the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha said, “Today the whole situation has become clear regarding the election of Congress Party President. I have my personal opinion and it is the feeling of all the workers that Rahul Gandhi should take the lead of the Congress party at this time. He should become the president of the Congress party.”
“Rahul Gandhi is the only one who can lift the Congress. He can unify and strengthen the party. Only he has the ability to assemble people even in the Bharat Jodo programme,” the veteran Congress leader added