Rahul could be Congress chief before Gujarat polls

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Rahul could be Congress chief before Gujarat polls
Subodh Ghildiyal | TNN | Updated: Nov 21, 2017, 08:33 IST

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NEW DELHI: Congress set the ball rolling on Monday for a generational change in the party by announcing the election schedule for the post of party president, which is set to be occupied by Rahul Gandhi in the midst of the Gujarat campaign. The schedule, approved by the Congress Working Committee, fixed the date of nomination and scrutiny of candidature for December first week.
If Rahul is the only aspirant to file nomination, he is likely to be declared elected on December 5. This would mean Rahul would go into the Gujarat first phase of voting on December 9 as Congress chief, a politically significant development. Rahul is spearheading the party campaign in a bid to unseat BJP in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state and his elevation further frames the tough contest as a "Modi vs Rahul" face-off.
Interestingly, the election schedule announced by AICC in-charge of organisational elections Mullapally Ramachandran does not appear influenced by the Gujarat results. The process is to start with notification on December 1 and nominations can be filed till December 4. The papers will be scrutinised on December 5 while the last date of withdrawal is December 11. Voting is to be held on December 16 and results declared on December 19, though they may well be out much before.