On August 28, during the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, the party finally decided to hold the elections for the post of Party President on October 17. The counting for the same will commence on October 19. Currently, Sonia Gandhi is serving as the interim President since 2019, a position she also held on a full-time basis from 1998 to 2017. Sonia Gandhi’s son Rahul Gandhi was the party president in the period from 2017 to 2019.
Election for Congress President post to be held on 17th October. Counting will be done on 19th October: Sources pic.twitter.com/OKr2lo3yIc
— ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2022
The announcement of the date has come at a time when several Congress leaders have either resigned from their respective posts or resigned from the party itself. Notably, Anand Sharma resigned on August 24 from the Chairmanship of the Steering Committee of Himachal Pradesh Congress but announced that he would stay in the party. On August 26, veteran Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad resigned from the party. There have been reports that he might form his own party in Jammu and Kashmir. Following Azad’s resignation, several Congress leaders from Jammu and Kashmir also resigned from the party.
Anand Sharma and Ghulam Nabi Azad were part of G23, the rebel group of leaders inside the Congress party that have raised serious questions about the leadership and vision of the party.
कांग्रेस अध्यक्ष का चुनाव 17 अक्टूबर को होगा
— AajTak (@aajtak) August 28, 2022
(@Supriya23bh)https://t.co/XP5VQ35qNP
It is noteworthy that earlier this year, senior Congress leader also Sunil Jakhar left the party and joined Bharatiya Janata Party. Before him, Congress leader and former Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh had resigned from the party before state elections and formed his own political party that contested alongside BJP in the Punjab Assembly Elections.
This year, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh will have Assembly Elections, both states are currently ruled by BJP. Amidst the upcoming state elections and preparations for the Lok Sabha elections in 2024, senior Congress leaders leaving the party is not a good sign for the party. Looking at the exodus from Congress, the party will struggle to maintain its position as the main opposition to the ruling BJP, and this decision to finally hold the elections for the party president may be one last ditch attempt to stop more exits.
