Decision on next Congress president likely tomorrow
New Delhi, Aug 9 (IBNS): The Congress party is all set to choose its new president on Saturday when the top decision-making body that is the Congress Working Committee meets following a discussion with UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, media reports said.
"Mukul Wasnik has emerged as the front runner for the post left vacant after Rahul Gandhi quit in May, owning responsibility for the party's national election debacle," NDTV quoting sources claimed.
59-year-old Mukul Wasnik, who was a former minister, is expected to take charge of the party.
The party will get a non-Gandhi president for the first time in two decades.
The Congress party, which is India's oldest political party, mostly had a member of the Nehru-Gandhi family as its president.
However, all three Gandhis who are presently active in politics, Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, have refused to be the party president.
Rahul Gandhi in June this year made it clear that he would stick to his decision to step down from the post of the party chief and would not be involved in the selection process of the new party chief.
Days after the party's terrible performance in the Lok Sabha election, Rahul took "100 per cent" responsibility and said he would step down.
Rahul had not agreed to continue and even said his mother Sonia or sister Priyanka could not be given the reins of the party.
The Congress party this time got only 52 seats, the number only marginally up from 44 in 2014.
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