Rahul remains ‘No. 1’, ‘only’ choice of Congress rank and file for party chief’s post: Khurshid

India

pti-PTI

New
Delhi,
Aug
28:
Rahul
Gandhi
remains
the
“number
one” and
the
“only”
choice
of
the
Congress
rank
and
file
to
take
over
as
the
party
chief,
senior
leader
Salman
Khurshid
said
on
Sunday
after
the
schedule
for
the
election
of
the
AICC
president
was
announced.

Khurshid
also
said
efforts
will
be
made
to
persuade
Gandhi
to
take
over
the
presidency
of
the
party
once
he
returns
from
abroad.

Ending
speculation,
the
Congress
after
a
meeting
of
the
party’s
working
committee,
announced
that
the
election
for
its
president
will
be
held
on
October
17
with
the
winner
being
declared
two
days
later.

Asked
whether
Rahul
Gandhi
remains
the
choice
of
party
leaders,
Khurshid
said,
“Frankly
from
everybody
that
I
have
spoken
to
or
I
have
sensed
their
opinion,
he
remains
the
number
one
(choice)
and
he
remains
the
only
one.”
“We
haven’t
got
into
any
conversations
beyond
that…we
have
no
indications
as
to
whether
he
will
accept
our
request.
Today,
it
was
not
possible
to
dwell
on
that
because
it
was
just
the
scheduling
and
it
was
all
very
difficult
because
it
was
a
hybrid
meeting,”
Khurshid,
a
permanent
invitee
to
the
Congress
Working
Committee,
told
PTI.

“When
he
comes
back
I
am
sure
we
would
want
to
persuade
him,”
Khurshid
said.

The
former
Union
minister
said
party
workers
and
leaders
share
the
sentiment
expressed
by
senior
party
leader
and
Leader
of
Opposition
in
Rajya
Sabha
Mallikarjun
Kharge
who
said
on
Saturday
that
Rahul
Gandhi
would
be
persuaded
to
return
as
Congress
president
as
there
is
none
in
the
party
other
than
him
who
has
a
pan-India
appeal.

Khurshid
said
“100
per
cent”
the
rank
and
file
of
the
party
wants
Rahul
Gandhi
at
the
helm.

The
CWC
meeting
was
presided
over
by
Sonia
Gandhi,
who
is
abroad
for
medical
checkups.
She
was
seen
flanked
by
former
party
chief
Rahul
Gandhi
and
Priyanka
Gandhi
Vadra,
who
are
accompanying
her.

The
meeting
came
amid
several
leaders,
including
Rajasthan
Chief
Minister
Ashok
Gehlot,
having
publicly
exhorted
Rahul
Gandhi
to
return
as
the
party
chief.
However,
uncertainty
and
suspense
continue
on
the
issue.
Several
party
insiders
say
Rahul
Gandhi
is
persisting
with
his
stance
that
he
will
not
be
the
All
India
Congress
Committee
(AICC)
president.

Gehlot
on
Wednesday
had
sought
to
play
down
reports
about
him
being
the
frontrunner
for
the
Congress
president’s
post
and
said
efforts
would
be
made
till
the
last
minute
to
persuade
Rahul
Gandhi
to
take
over
the
reins
of
the
party
again.

Rahul
Gandhi
had
resigned
as
Congress
president
after
the
party
suffered
its
second
consecutive
defeat
in
the
2019
parliamentary
elections.

Sonia
Gandhi
who
took
over
the
reins
of
the
party
again
as
interim
president
had
also
offered
to
quit
in
August
2020
after
an
open
revolt
by
a
section
of
leaders,
referred
to
as
G-23,
but
the
CWC
had
urged
her
to
continue.