'Whoever becomes Congress president should remember...': Rahul Gandhi's advice to new party chief

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday (September 22, 2022) said that whoever becomes the new party president should remember that he "represents a set of ideas, a belief system and a vision of India". 

"Congress president is not just an organisational post, it is an ideological post and a belief system," the former party chief said.

Another piece of advice Gandhi had for the contestants in the party's presidential polls was that "you are taking a historic position. A position that defines and has defined a particular view of India."

On one-man, one-post decision taken at the Congress Chintan Shivir in Udaipur this year, he said, "What we had decided in Udaipur is a commitment of the Congress and I expect that commitment will be maintained."

It was an apparent reference to Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, who is considered one of the frontrunners for the Congress chief post, that he may not get to play a double role. Gehlot is said to be Gandhis' first choice for the Congress president. He, however, reportedly does not want to leave the Chief Minister's chair. 

During the three-day Chintan Shivir held in Rajasthan's Udaipur in May this year, the grand old party had adopted the "one man, one post" rule.

LIVE: Media Interaction | Bharat Jodo Yatra | Kerala https://t.co/eQIgycono1 — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) September 22, 2022

Meanwhile, the fight for the Congress president's post has intensified with Gehlot on Wednesday giving a clear indication that he could enter the poll fray, while another senior leader Shashi Tharoor meeting the party's poll panel chief to enquire about the nomination formalities.

The Congress is set to see a contest for the post of party chief after over two decades. The upcoming polls are significant as the new president would replace Sonia Gandhi, the longest-serving party chief who has been at the helm since 1998, barring the two years between 2017 and 2019 when Rahul Gandhi took over.

The party last saw a contest for the post in November 2000 when Jitendra Prasada had lost to Sonia Gandhi. Prior to that, Sitaram Kesri had defeated Sharad Pawar and Rajesh Pilot in 1997.

With Rahul likely to stick to his stance of not taking on the mantle of party president again, it seems the party will have its first non-Gandhi chief in over two decades.

Earlier in the day, the Congress' central election authority issued a notification for the AICC president polls. According to the notification, the process for filing nominations for the election will be held from September 24 to 30. The date of scrutiny of the nomination papers would be on October 1, while the last date of withdrawal of nominations would be October 8.

The election, if there is more than one candidate, will take place on October 17. The counting of votes and the declaration of results would be on October 19.

(With agency inputs)