New Delhi: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi is likely to be elected as the party chief after Diwali.
According to Congress sources, members of the party`s Central Election Authority (CEA), which is overseeing the election, are expected to meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi in a day or so to apprise her of the completion of various phases of the poll.
The sources said that Sonia would then call a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) to approve a tentative schedule of the polls and then it would be notified by the CEA.
IANS further quoted sources as saying that the meeting of the CWC, the party`s highest decision making body, could take place on October 15.
Most states where the organisational elections were held have completed the process of electing members of Pradesh Congress Committees (PCCs), which form the electoral college for the election.
Meanwhile, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) on Wednesday urged Rahul to take over the charge of the party president and a resolution in this regard was unanimously passed at the meeting of the newly elected 415 PCC members assembled at the Congress Bhavan.
"An unanimous resolution has been passed to urge Rahul ji to take over as the Congress president," OPCC president Prasad Harichandan told reporters after the meeting.
On the other hand, the Haryana Congress too, today, passed an unanimous resolution seeking the elevation of Rahul as the party president.
The resolution, passed in the presence of senior Congress leaders Kamal Nath (who is in charge of party affairs for Haryana), former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Haryana Congress president Ashok Tanwar and Congress Legislature Party leader Kiran Chaudhary, urged Sonia to elevate Rahul as the party chief.
Hooda moved the resolution, which was seconded by Tanwar, Chaudhry and Rajya Sabha member and former union minister Kumari Selja, PTI reported.
Nearly 200 newly elected delegates endorsed the resolution for Rahul`s elevation.
Nath termed the resolution as 'historic'. He said Rahul`s elevation would infuse new energy in the Congress.
Also, the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) and Mumbai Regional Congreas Committee (MRCC) today passed a unanimous resolution demanding that party Rahul should be elevated as the Congress chief.
The resoluion was passed at a meeting of top party office bearers from the state and city which was also attended by party in-charge of Maharashtra Mohan Prakash.
MPCC president Ashok Chavan and MRCC president Sanjay Nirupam moved a brief resolution, which was seconded by top leaders including Sushilkumar Shinde, Prithviraj Chavan, Naseem Khan, Manikrao Thakre, Hussain Dalwai, Vasant Purke, Vilas Muttemwar, Rajni Patil, Eknath Gaekwad, Vishwajit Kadam and others.
Later it was put to vote and unanimously approved at the meeting held in state Congreas headquarters at Tilak Bhavan late on Wednesday night.
The PCC in Uttar Pradesh is expected to adopt the resolution on Thursday.
The elevation of Rahul Gandhi, 47, has been in the works for a long time, with party leaders stating from time to time that he should take over as the party chief.
Gandhi was appointed Congress VP in 2013.
Interestingly, the elevation will come ahead of crucial Assembly polls in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh where the Congress is facing a stiff challenge from the BJP.
While the party would face anti-incumbency in Himachal Pradesh, it has been out of power in Gujarat for almost 20 years.
The last presidential elections of the party were held in 2010 and Sonia was elected party chief for five years. The party later sought extension of time from the Election Commission for holding the polls.
Sonia has been the longest serving president of the party, having taken over its reigns in 1998.
She had faced a contest in the 2001 presidential elections from Jitendra Prasada.
(With Agency inputs)
