Has Congress secretly appointed its new chief? Eknath Gaikwad's appointment raises eyebrows

Rahul Gandhi has resigned as Congress chief and the party has not appointed any interim president, at least officially. But the appointment of former Lok Sabha MP Eknath Gaikwad as working president of the Mumbai Congress has raised the eyebrows of many.

AICC general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal on Friday issued a notification that Congress president has appointed Gaikwad as Mumbai Congress chief. So who is this Congress president? Has Congress party secertly appointed someone as its new chief?

After the humiliating defeat in the Lok Sabha elections, Rahul Gandhi had stepped down from the post of Congress president. Despite repeated requests from party leaders and workers, Rahul Gandhi remained firm on his decision and advised the party to move on and find his replacement.

According to reports, citing sources, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who was seen as Rahul Gandhi's potential replacement, has also turned down the request to take over as Congress president. Priyanka Gandhi has reportedly told senior party leaders that she will continue to serve the Congress in her current role rather than being as its chief.

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Recently, there were reports that Congress, in its bleakest hour, has turned to towards Sonia Gandhi, urging her to take charge as interim chief to help the party come out of the crisis. Sonia Gandhi, however, neither accepted nor rejected the request to take over her the post her son relinquished recently.