Here’s who Riteish Deshmukh, Milind Deora want as Congress president

Ahead of the meeting of the Congress Working Committee on Saturday, speculations are rife over who would be the new president of the grand old party. Several names have been doing the rounds while the party has maintained that the new president would be chosen on the basis of consensus.

Amid the speculations, former Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh’s son and popular actor Riteish Deshmukh has declared his choices for the top post in the Congress party. According to the actor, the best options for the post are Jyotiraditya Scindia and Sachin Pilot.

Taking to microblogging site Twitter, Riteish called Scindia and Pilot “young, dynamic, popular mass leaders”.

“As @INCIndia is going to elect thier new party president. @JM_Scindia or @SachinPilot would make the most ideal choice. Young, Dynamic, Popular. #MassLeaders,” he tweeted.

As @INCIndia is going to elect thier new party president. @JM_Scindia or @SachinPilot would make the most ideal choice. Young, Dynamic, Popular. #MassLeaders. pic.twitter.com/cNULB13XE1

— Riteish Deshmukh (@Riteishd) August 10, 2019

Notably, Mumbai Congress chief Milind Deora has also backed Pilot and Scindia for the top job. Pointing that the two leaders have “pan-India appeal”, Deora said that the they have the “administrative, organisational and electoral credentials” to become the president of the Congress party.

To my mind, 2 young leaders have the administrative, organisational & electoral credentials to become @INCIndia President. They have pan-India appeal & either one can reinvigorate the party.
My @PTI_News interview:https://t.co/twqXpxb4Lv — Milind Deora मिलिंद देवरा (@milinddeora) August 9, 2019

Backing Scindia and Pilot, the Congress leader from Mumbai said, “To my mind, 2 young leaders have the administrative, organisational & electoral credentials to become @INCIndia President. They have pan-India appeal & either one can reinvigorate the party.”

The Congress party has virtually been without a leader since the debacle during the Lok Sabha elections. Taking moral responsibility for the defeat, Rahul Gandhi had resigned as the Congress chief. During the CWC meetings that followed, he was persuaded by leaders to continue as the party president, but the Gandhi scion reportedly asserted that the new chief of the grand old party must not hail from the Gandhi-Nehru family. He had also reportedly dismissed the demands to make his sister, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the new president of the party.