Page 21 - Sonia Gandhi

Cong to issue party prez polls notification; contest likely after 2 decades

The Congress' central election authority will issue a notification for the AICC president polls on Thursday, setting the ball rolling for electing the successor to the longest-serving party chief Sonia Gandhi. After over two decades, the Congress is likely to see a contest for the post of party chief with Shashi Tharoor looking set to enter the fray after his meeting with Sonia Gandhi and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot indicating that he will throw his hat in the ring if Rahul Gandhi does not agree to take on the party's reins. 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 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, while counting of votes, if necessary, and the counting of votes and the declaration of results would be on October 19. Even though there is no cla

Tharoor gets Sonia's 'approval' to run for Congress President: Report

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Monday met Sonia Gandhi and expressed his intention to contest the upcoming AICC chief polls, while the Congress president conveyed that she would stay "neutral" in the elections, sources said. Gandhi welcomed the idea of more people contesting the polls and dispelled the notion that there would be an "official candidate", they said. The feedback by Gandhi on Tharoor's desire to contest is being seen by many as an encouragement to him to contest and he could announce his candidature in the next few days. With regard to Tharoor's meeting with Gandhi and the speculation over it, the Congress said no one needs a nod to contest the presidential election as it is an open, democratic and transparent process. "Anybody who wants to contest is free and welcome to do so. This has been the consistent position of Congress President and Shri Rahul Gandhi. This is an open, democratic and transparent process. Nobody needs anybody's nod to contest," AICC ..

Jairam Ramesh seeks Nehru-Gandhi family's prominence in Congress Prez poll

With the process for electing the new Congress president round the corner, senior party leader Jairam Ramesh has batted for "consensus" in selecting the new AICC chief and sought to uphold the "prominence" of the Nehru-Gandhi family in the organisational matters in any sort of emerging situation. Ramesh, the AICC general secretary in-charge Communication, Publicity and Media, said even if somebody else is elected as the party chief in the October 17 polls, Sonia Gandhi will continue to be a person "everybody looks up to" and insisted Rahul Gandhi will be the "ideological compass" of the grand old organisation. He rejected the suggestion the Wayanad MP will do "backseat driving" in the event of somebody else being a Congress president, hailing the Gandhi scion as a very accommodative and democratic person. A party without a 'high command' would be 'anarchy,' he said. In an interview to PTI, the former Union Minister also opposed a section of Congress leaders' argument against its hi

Congress to issue delegates' list on Sep 20 for president post contenders

Anyone wanting to file nomination for the post of Congress president will be able see the list of all 9,000 delegates from the office of central election authority at the AICC office from September 20, Congress leader Madhusudan Mistry has said. Addressing the concerns of five MPs, including Shashi Tharoor, Karti Chidambaram, and Manish Tewari, over the electoral rolls and the "transparency, fairness" in the election process, Mistry said those seeking to contest the poll can check the names of 10 delegates from the list. Once the nomination is signed and handed over to the Chief Returning Officer, they will get the entire list of the delegates, he said in a letter to the MPs. "If anyone desires to get nominations from ten supporters from different states, the list of all 9000+ delegates will be available in my office at AICC, Delhi from 20th September (11 AM to 6 PM), before they file their nomination on 24th September," Mistry said in his letter to Tharoor and others. "They can co

Gandhis' constant attack forced me to retaliate, says Ghulam Nabi Azad

Former J&K Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Thursday attacked Congress' Rahul and Sonia Gandhi saying he had maintained a dignified silence since his departure from the party but their continued attack forced him to retaliate. Azad said this while holding a rally in his home town in Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district. He said that despite repeated attacks on him by the Gandhis, he maintained a dignified silence for a long time but his single retaliation has now grounded them. Azad, who is on his maiden political campaign as a non-Congress leader ahead of announcing his own party in Jammu and Kashmir, addressed a rally at a jam packed Bhalla market in Doda's Bhadarwah. "After my resignation letter, I maintained a dignified silence for four days but when Sonia Gandhi and Rahul kept attacking at me, I was left with no other option but to make my point, as my religion and ethics of politics give you the right to protect yourself, when you are attacked," Azad said. "They tried to ...

Bharat Jodo Yatra will be momentous, will rejuvenate Congress: Sonia Gandhi

Sonia Gandhi, who is abroad for a medical check up, termed the party's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' from Kanyakumari to Kashmir "transformational moment of Indian politics"

Rahul Gandhi to launch Congress' 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' from Kanyakumari today

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will launch the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' here on Wednesday

Congress President election: Who will hold the fort after Sonia Gandhi?

As calls for publication of electoral rolls gain ground, it remains to be seen who enters the fray

The missing roll call

Congress should not undermine presidential polls

Telangana Chief Minister KCR condoles passing away of Sonia Gandhi's mother

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has expressed condolence over the demise of Congress president Sonia Gandhi's mother Paola Maino. Rao conveyed his condolences to Sonia Gandhi and other members of the bereaved family, a CMO release said late on Wednesday. Paolo Maino passed away at her home in Italy on Saturday and her funeral took place on Tuesday, Congress has said in Delhi.

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's mother Paola Maino passes away in Italy

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's mother Paola Maino passed away at her home in Italy on Saturday and her funeral took place on Sunday, the Congress said here. The Congress president had left on August 23 to visit her ailing mother, who was in her 90s. "Smt. Sonia Gandhi's mother, Mrs. Paola Maino passed away at her home in Italy on Saturday the 27th August 2022. The funeral took place yesterday," AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh said on Twitter. Sonia Gandhi, her son Rahul Gandhi and daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are already abroad and visited her hometown.

Oppn bound to criticise bills harmful to citizens: Gandhis to Delhi HC

Pointing out that there are no allegations under Section 153B, Gandhis said they were selectively picked up while not taking into consideration the speeches made by the members of the ruling party

Congress prez poll: When Jitendra Prasada challenged Sonia Gandhi and lost

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor is contemplating the possibility of running for the post of the party president, the elections for which are due to be held on October 17

Ghulam Nabi Azad timed his exit from the Congress for a 'bigger' role

Azad is not known to act impulsively. It would seem his hand was forced by the oncoming Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) elections. Its outcome will set the stage for his national political ambitions

Election for Congress president to be held on Oct 17, counting on Oct 19

The notification for the election will be issued on September 22, while the filing of nomination would begin on September 24 and continue till September 30

CWC to meet today to approve schedule for election of Congress president

Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting will be held on Sunday afternoon to discuss and approve the final schedule for the election of Congress president

It's Congress that has got 'Azadi' from Azad: Youth Congress president

The Congress party leadership has always entrusted him and stood by his side at times of despair. But alas, he couldn't give back to the party!" Srinivas BV, president of Indian Youth Congress said.

Exits of Azad, Sibal leave Congress' G-23 change seekers in disarray

Ghulam Nabi Azad's resignation from the Congress on Friday marked the most high-profile exit of one of the "Group of 23" (G-23) leaders, who had written to party chief Sonia Gandhi two years ago for a "collective and inclusive leadership" in the organisation, exposing the faultlines in the grand old party. The G-23, the members of which were lampooned by the party loyalists after their letter became public on August 24, 2020, has virtually disintegrated over the last two years with the resignations of Azad and Kapil Sibal, seen as the prime movers of the initiative, and others such as Shashi Tharoor, M Veerappa Moily and Mukul Wasnik making peace with the high-command. Leaders such as Jitin Prasada and Yogananda Shastri have also quit the Congress to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) respectively. Prasada is a minister in the Uttar Pradesh government now, while Shastri heads the Delhi unit of the NCP. Former Union minister Anand Sharma, w

Ghulam Nabi Azab resigns from INC, points out Rahul Gandhi's behaviour

On August 17, Azad had quit from the post of chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Congress campaign committee just hours after his appointment as the head

Congress chief election likely to be delayed by a few weeks, say reports

The election of Congress president that was to end by September 20 is likely to be delayed by a few weeks with the party focused on the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' and some state units not completing formalities, sources said Thursday. The Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party's highest decision-making body, will hold a virtual meeting on Sunday to approve the exact schedule for the election. Congress president Sonia Gandhi will preside over the CWC meeting. The Congress had announced in October last year that the election of the new party president will be held between August 21 and September 20 this year. The CWC had decided that elections for block committees and one member each of the Pradesh Congress Committees will be held from April 16 to May 31, district committee chiefs will be elected between June 1 and July 20, PCC chiefs and AICC members between July 21 and August 20, and AICC president between August 21 and September 20. Sources said the process will be delayed by a few