Rahul Gandhi To Return As Congress Chief? KC Venugopal Drops Big Hint

Senior Congress leader and general secretary in-charge of organisation KC Venugopal on Friday hinted at Rahul Gandhi’s return as party president, the post he relinquished following the drubbing in 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Venugopal, who is in Kerala’s Wayanad accompanying Rahul Gandhi, said that he will soon listen to the repeated pleas of party workers and return as Congress president.

"The country is going through a critical phase. The party needs his leadership most now. There is a loud chorus from party workers from different parts of the country and we all hope he will listen to them soon,” he told reporters, adding that Gandhi’s decision to quit as party chief was an emotional one.

According to a report published in the Hindustan Times, the Congress party is planning an extended session of AICC in January 2020 where Rahul Gandhi will be elected as president. The report, citing a senior leader, claimed that Rahul Gandhi has mellowed a bit now after initial reluctance as he wanted new president from non-Gandhi family.

After Congress party’s abysmal show in 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Rahul Gandhi had resigned as party president despite repeated requests from senior leaders and party workers.

The Congress had won only 52 seats in the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year, just 8 more than its 2014 tally. After months of confusion, his mother Sonia Gandhi took over the post as interim president.