Congress elects Sonia Gandhi as interim president

After months of pondering over and then holding a marathon meeting of its working committee on Saturday, the Congress finally refused to bite the bullet of having a new president to lead and chose Sonia Gandhi as the provisional president pending party elections.

The decision comes as a surprise to everyone, as Rahul Gandhi who resigned from the party leadership after Lok Sabha elections debacle, had earlier said that no member from the Gandhi family will become President.

During the run-up to the CWC meeting, several names like Mukul Wasnik, Mallikarjun Kharge and Meira Kumar had cropped up for the post of president. But it all turned out to be a facade in common man's eyes.

Congress tried to wriggle out of the onslaught of criticism saying that it is just an interim arrangement and Sonia Gandhi has taken the reins of the party as provisional President till the new President is chosen through an election process.

Congress sources said that a big worry was the party might split if a person outside Gandhi family is chosen and given the coming elections in four states the CWC chose to make Sonia Gandhi the provisional President.

(Sonia Gandhi arrives to attend CWC meeting in New Delhi - Reuters)

Jyotiraditya Scindia said the "the question came up that who can take the responsibility of the party and all CWC members after consulting party leaders across all states decided on the name of Rahul Gandhi. And when he refused point-blank, the CWC members were ready to give reins only to the time tested and trusted the leadership of Sonia Gandhi.

"One cannot take the right from us to choose our president. And this is only an interim arrangement till the next AICC meeting where the new President will be chosen," said Scindia.

Many party members agreed that this could give fresh fodder to the BJP to attack Congress on dynastic tag but also said that there was no way out as she is the only possible glue left for the Congress to remain relevant and has a track record of leading the party to two successive wins in 2004 and 2009.

They described it as a compelling decision under the present circumstances asserting that Sonia Gandhi is the only leader after Rahul Gandhi who can keep the party intact and attack the BJP government effectively inside and outside the parliament.

BJP spokesperson Vivek Reddy said sadly all the exercise of choosing a person outside the family as President came to a nought as was expected and the very poison of dynasty which the Congress wanted to come out has come to centre-stage again.

The resolution passed at the CWC meeting turned out to be on the expected lines as they sounded like an ode to the Gandhi family. The first resolution praised Rahul Gandhi for steering the party with "unbounded drive, fierce determination and dedication" in difficult times with a new sense of aggression and described him as a bulwark against the forces of hate, prejudice, bigotry, intolerance and divisiveness.

The second resolution talked about how all the Congress leaders again unanimously resolved that Rahul Gandhi should continue as President and after failing to do so requested Sonia Gandhi to become provisional President which she reluctantly agreed to.

The CWC also passed a third resolution expressing "serious concern" over the situation in Jammu & Kashmir including reports of clampdown, news blackout and arrest and detention of entire political leadership. It asked the Government to act in a transparent fashion and forthwith permit a delegation of opposition parties in Jammu & Kashmir.