Poll process for next Congress chief to begin on December 1

Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, Nov 20

Process for the election of the next Congress president will start from December 1 culminating in an election, if necessary, on December 16.

The Congress Working Committee chaired by party chief Sonia Gandhi approved the election schedule for new party president poll on Monday at a short 35-minute meeting.

Filing of nominations will start on December 1 and the last date for filing will be December 4.

The scrutiny will happen on December 5 and names of candidates in the fray will be known by 4 pm that day.
“The last date for withdrawal of nominations will be December 11. The polling, if meeded, for the Congress chief’s election will take place on December 16. Counting and results will be declared on December 19,” party election in charge Mullapally Ramachandran said.

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There is a wide unstated understanding in the Congress that party vice-president Rahul Gandhi will be the only candidate in fray and no one will challenge him.

In that case the next Congress chief will be known by December 5 unofficially and by December 11 officially.
Sonia Gandhi, the longest serving party chief ever, had taken over in 1999.

The CWC didn’t discuss her role on Monday but she will likely be the chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party and will continue to mentor the party.