Rahul's elevation: Congress seeks more time for internal polls from EC

CWC has recently passed a resolution urging Rahul to become the party chief

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi appears to be in no hurry to take over the reins of the organisation from his mother and Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi as the grand old party has sought more time from the Election Commission to complete its internal polls.

The move has come in the wake of the Election Commission urging the Congress to complete the internal elections by June 2017.

Recently, the entire Congress Working Committee (CWC), the highest decision making body, had passed a resolution urging Rahul to become the party chief.

The leadership issue is not new and has been surfacing in the Congress after the party suffered electoral losses in the 2014 General Elections.

The internal party elections, which includes holding polls to elect office bearers from the district to the AICC level, were to be completed in 2015, culminating with Rahul formally assuming the mantle of Congress chief.

However, the process was postponed indefinitely as there was no clarity on Rahul's elevation and also because the state unit had complained about poor membership drive.

The Congress had extended the tenure of Sonia in December 2016 by another year meaning that internal elections would have been held by the end of 2017.

Sources said the decision on Rahul's elevation has been deferred due to Assembly polls in five states namely Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur which will be over by March 11, when the results would be out.

As Rahul is betting big on reviving the Congress in UP, the home state of the Nehrus-Gandhis, and has taken the gamble of aligning with the Samajwadi Party, against the wishes of party workers, any decision on his elevation can be made only after the Assembly polls.

Sources said Rahul prefers the internal election route to become party chief rather than being named by the CWC through an executive order.

Defending the delay in internal polls, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said the membership list in the states was not update and it would be difficult to complete the job in the poll-going states.

In 2008, after being named as party general secretary in 2007, Rahul had started a process to hold internal elections in the youth wings to end the culture of patronage reflected through nominations.

He had plans to extend the internal elections to all posts of office bearers, something which had irked the party veterans, who had risen through the ranks via consensual appointments.

Singhvi said the Congress was the first party to hold internal polls at all levels despite resistance from local leaders and expressed the hope that the process this time would be over in about six months.