Rahul Gandhi files nomination for top Congress post

Rahul Gandhi became the Congress Vice President in January 2013.

Rahul Gandhi files his nomination for the post of president of Congress party on Monday December 4, 2017. (Image: ABP Live)

New Delhi: Congress VP Rahul Gandhi filed his nomination for the post of president of the party on Monday amid host of party heavyweights accompanying him. The counting will take place on 19th December. As per reports, over 90 sets of nomination papers are likely to be filed to support his candidature. Six Chief Ministers -- Punjab's Amarinder Singh, Karnataka's Siddaramaiah, Himachal Pradesh's Virbhadra Singh, Puducherry's V. Narayanasamy, Meghalaya's Mukul Sangma and Mizoram's Lal Thanhawla -- are expected to be present when over 90 sets of nomination papers are likely to be filed by various leaders to extend support to Rahul Gandhi's candidature. Presently Sonia Gandhi, mother of Rahul Gandhi, is the president of the grand old party. Here are live updates:

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Senior party leaders including Kamal Nath, Sheila Dikshit, Motilal Vora and Tarun Gogoi filed first set of nominations(as proposers) for Rahul Gandhi pic.twitter.com/kTSSk5pZRV

— ANI (@ANI) December 4, 2017

• Rahul Gandhi is the only person to file nomination for the post of Congress president
• Rahul Gandhi files nomination for top Congress post

Delhi: Congress workers and leaders enter AICC HQ ahead of Rahul Gandhi filing nomination for Congress President pic.twitter.com/5AMUqp4PaH — ANI (@ANI) December 4, 2017

• Rahul Gandhi reaches former PM Dr.Manmohan Singh's residence ahead of filing nomination for Congress President

The process of nominations started on Friday. The last date for filing nominations is today. Reacting to criticism over the election process, Congress Spokesperson Sushmita Dev told the media: "All I want to say is that it is happening under Election Commission supervision. When we talk about electoral democracy, I wish to say, we conduct (internal) elections while adhering to Election Commission rules. It is being done with full transparency. We have not violated any rules." She said if someone was raising questions, what was the basis on which they were doing so. "I won't be able to comment about it. Only those who have raised the issue can explain." On Sunday, many senior Congress leaders, its members of Parliament and PCC chiefs arrived at the party headquarters to sign the papers, including Sachin Pilot, Kapil Sibal, Rajeev Shukla, P.C. Chacko, Shobha Oza, Hamdulla Sayeed and others. Apart from states and union territories, senior leaders on the Congress Working Committee (CWC), including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, A.K. Antony, Ahmed Patel and Ghulam Nabi Azad are likely to submit different sets of nomination papers. The elevation of Rahul Gandhi, who is presently spearheading the Congress campaign ahead of the December 9 and 14 Gujarat assembly polls, has been much talked about in party circles for around two years. With Rahul Gandhi in all likelihood to be the only candidate in the fray, he could be declared the next Congress chief on December 5 after scrutiny of nominations. He will succeed his mother Sonia Gandhi, the longest serving Congress chief who has helmed the party since 1998. Rahul Gandhi became the Congress Vice President in January 2013.