Cong gears up for next-Friday meet, Rahul set to be PM candidate

There is speculation that younger leaders within the party could move a proposal at the CWC meet on Jan 16 demanding Rahul Gandhi be named as PM candidate

Almost a year after being appointed the Congress vice-president, Rahul Gandhi looks set to be declared its prime ministerial candidate at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) meet in Delhi next Friday.

The daylong meet at the Talkatora Stadium will be preceded by a meet of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the highest decision-making body of the party, next Thursday. The meets have been convened to thrash out the strategy in the run-up to the general elections and to pass a resolution encompassing the social, economic and political standpoint for the polls.

According to sources, younger leaders would move a proposal at the CWC meet demanding Rahul be named the prime ministerial candidate and the AICC would make the declaration the next day.

A senior involved in the preparations said: "Unlike in the past where we usually had separate resolutions on every aspect, this time round there will be an omnibus resolution encompassing social, economic and political aspects."

State unit chiefs and district committee chiefs have been invited to the AICC meet, a departure from the past.

A lot has changed from the last year's Chintan Shivir (brainstorming session) in Jaipur, when Rahul reluctantly agreed to accept the role of the vice-president amid “unavoidable” circumstances involving Congress President Sonia Gandhi's ill health and frequent trips abroad for treatment. Since he took over as the second-in-command, Rahul has taken control of day-to-day decision-making of the party and is "firmly in the saddle", as one senior put it.

The recent Assembly poll debacle in Delhi and three states has resulted in a louder clamour for Rahul’s elevation. "His being named the prime ministerial candidate can only help us as we strategise for the Lok Sabha polls," said a senior.