Rahul Gandhi Returning Back At Helm Of Congress As Party President Once Again?

Rahul Gandhi was elected President unopposed in 2017 after demand from different quarters of the party, but during the 2019 General Elections, the party was routed under his leadership and he resigned in May taking the responsibility of poll debacle.

A Congress session is scheduled in the next few months. (File Photo/ Getty)

New Delhi: With Congress unable to find a suitable face to head the party post the Lok Sabha 2019 debacle, the news of its former President Rahul Gandhi returning back to the helm has started doing rounds from various nook and corners. Giving the rumours a further push, senior Congress leader KC Venugopal on Friday dropped a big hint saying that the country wants leadership of Rahul Gandhi more now. Speaking to reporters in Kerala’s Wayanad where he is accompanying Rahul Gandhi on his three-day visit to the constituency, Venugopal said, "The nation is going through a critical phase... The party needs his leadership and there is loud chorus from the workers to bring him again and we hope he will listen to them." According to news agency IANS, a Congress session is scheduled in the next few months to ratify the appointment of interim President Sonia Gandhi. A source said that in the same meet, a chorus will grow to bring again Rahul Gandhi as planned by young leaders in the party. Rahul Gandhi stepped down from the post of Congress President after party's poor performance in the general elections held earlier this year. In the polls, Congress managed to win mere 52 seats and adding to the woes, Rahul Gandhi also lost his traditional Amethi seat in Uttar Pradesh by arch rival and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Smriti Irani. Rahul, however, managed to retain his seat in Parliament by winning in Wayanad. The seat of Congress president remained vacant for a while, but later his mother Sonia Gandhi took over the reins as the interim President in August. Rahul Gandhi's elevation to the party organisation was first demanded at the AICC's Hyderabad session in 2006 where workers from UP raised slogans in his favour and he was made party General Secretary in 2007. After that, the demand to make him Vice President was raised at the brainstorming session in Jaipur in 2013. He was elected President unopposed in 2017 after demand from different quarters of the party. Though he may not be the party chief, but Rahul Gandhi's decisions are evident within the party's decisions as evinced by appointment of Nitin Raut as minister in the Shiv Sena-Congress-Nationalist Congress Party coalition government in Maharashtra and of Nana Patole as the Assembly Speaker. The party is finalising a venue for the AICC session, which could be held in the Congress-ruled states of Madhya Pradesh or Rajasthan in January and February, a source said. (With inputs from IANS)