Sonia Gandhi: Rahul will lead Congress on my retirement
Today in Delhi Sonia Gandhi talked to media about her future in the Grand Old Party, which she has led as president for nearly 20 years.
Sonia added that My role now is to retire who is the Congress’s longest-serving president, said as Parliament met to begin its winter session.
Rahul, who was recently elected Congress president, will formally take over tomorrow with the party organising a grand celebration in the national capital.
Rahul’s rise up to the top of Congress, though long-expected, is closely watched. He gave a brief glimpse into how a Congress under might look during the recently concluded Gujarat Assembly election, where a combative Rahul gave the Bharatiya Janata Party a run for its money. (Exit polls predict a Congress loss in Gujarat, though we will know the results only on Monday).
The Gandhi scion will formally take over at an event at Congress’s Akbar Road headquarters in New Delhi. He was declared the winner of the party’s presidential poll on December 11. Some 3,000 senior party leaders and delegates will be present at the function where Rahul will be handed a certificate formalising his takeover.
Rahul Gandhi, 47, has been the Congress vice-president for around four years, serving as his mother’s right-hand in the Grand Old Party. However, off late, especially in the last few months, Rahul took on a more visible role in the party. The most notable example of this was during the Gujarat election campaign where he addressed rallies on a near-daily basis.
Sonia, on the other hand, was not seen on the campaign trail. She leaves behind a 19-year legacy. She became Congress president when was a 52-year-old political novice.
