Rahul Gandhi likely to be declared Congress President today

Rahul Gandhi is likely to be declared as Congress president on Monday. But, the 47-year-old party vice-president will assume the reins of the Congress on December 16.

The event will mark a generational shift in the Grand Old Party of India when Sonia Gandhi, the  longest-serving Congress president, would formally hand over the baton to her son.

The announcement of Rahul Gandhi's elevation, however, is likely to be made today, the last date of withdrawal of nomination for the election of the Congress president which is a one horse race, the PTI said.

Altogether 89 nominations received in Rahul Gandhi's favour were found to be valid during scrutiny. DNA had reported on December 4 that the big announcement would be made on December 11.

On December 28, which happens to be the Foundation Day of the Congress, Rahul Gandhi is likely to take over from his mother Sonia Gandhi.

Among those who proposed Rahul Gandhi's name in the first set of nomination papers were Sonia Gandhi, Motilal Vora, Ahmed Patel, Mohsina Kidwai, Kamal Nath, Ashok Gehlot, Mukul Wasnik, Sheila Dikshit, Tarun Gogoi and Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanaswamy.

Party leaders Manmohan Singh, Oscar Fernandes, P Chidambaram, Sushil Kumar Shinde, Anand Sharma, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his Meghalaya counterpart Mukul Sangma proposed his name in the second set of nomination papers.