Sonia Gandhi to Remain Congress’s Interim President

Sonia Gandhi to remain Congress party's interim president as of now and the new chief would be elected within the next 6 months, said party sources after 7 hours of Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting held on Monday.

Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi has asked her party to begin the process of replacing her as chief even as demands from across party units sought a Gandhi to lead the Grand Old Party. In the Congress Working Committee meeting, Sonia Gandhi offered to step down but was asked to continue by the former prime minister and veteran colleague Manmohan Singh. The decision came after some Congress leaders, including ex-ministers, wrote to her demanding "changes to the leadership". The letter by former ministers and some MPs was believed to have been written a few weeks ago.

Different voices have emerged within the party with one section comprising sitting MPs and former ministers demanding a collective leadership, while another group has sought the return of Rahul Gandhi to the helm. The letter written by the 23 party members sought an "active" and "visible" leadership to stem the rot in the party which has been rocked by electoral defeats, desertions, and crack within ranks. To add to the din, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's old interview supporting her brother Rahul Gandhi's demand for a non-Gandhi president has also complicated matters. "Perhaps not in the (resignation) letter but elsewhere, he has said that none of us should be the president of the party and I am in full agreement with him," Priyanka has said. "I think that the party should find its own path also," she said.