NEW DELHI: Even before the final decision is declared, banners have been put up outside the Congress headquarters in Delhi congratulated Rahul Gandhi for taking over the reigns of the party.
The 46-year-old filed his nomination as president of the Congress Party to succeed his mother in the role. He is likely to emerge as the lone candidate in the fray and decks have been cleared for his election as the Congress president. His mother Sonia Gandhi has held the post for 19 years in a row now.
No one else filed papers till Sunday, according to Mullapally Ramachandran, the chairman of the party's Central Election Authority.
Sonia and former prime minister Manmohan Singh are among the proposers for the candidature of Rahul Gandhi for the party chief's post.
The last date for withdrawal of candidature is December 11, and the poll, if necessary, will be held on December 16 and the counting will take place on December 19.
The elevation comes with a fair share of drama as the Opposition has voiced their lack of confidence in Rahul`s ability to hold them together, the way his mother did.Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Sitaram Yechury recently said that Gandhi scion cannot replace his mother, Sonia who was "the glue" that held the Opposition together.
The party itself witnessed a much publicised discord recently, when Congress leader Shehzad Poonawalla alleged that the party`s presidential elections were rigged. Nevertheless, various state units of the party have already expressed their support for Rahul`s elevation.
The process of nomination started on Friday, and today is the last date for filing nominations.Rahul, who became Congress Vice-President in January 2013, will succeed his mother, who is the longest-serving chief of the party, having been at the helm from 1998.
