Union Minister of State (independent charge) in Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh on Monday said the promotion of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi as party chief is directly proportionate to the defeat of the party.
Speaking to ANI, the Union Minister said, "This is a peculiar phenomena of the Congress Party. Each time the Congress looses an election, Rahul Gandhi gets an elevation. The defeat of the Congress in an election is directly proportionate to the promotion of Rahul in the party hierarchy."
He added that after 2014 Lok Sabha debacle, Rahul became the vice-president of the party after he was elevated from the post of general secretary.
"Now after Gujarat's debacle he will move on to become president of the Congress Party. We have nothing to say about Rahul's elevation as it is their internal matter. We are confident of the victory with each passing day. Rahul Gandhi's campaign in Gujarat is a blessing in disguise for us. It offers Gujarat an opportunity to judge where each one of us stand," Singh said.
The Congress Working Committee (CWC) today announced the schedule to elect the next party president, paving the way for Rahul's coronation just before the Gujarat elections.
The CWC meeting was chaired by current party president Sonia Gandhi at her 10, Janpath residence earlier this morning.
The 47-year-old vice-president of the Congress is set to succeed his mother, Sonia, and is expected to be elected unopposed like she has been for the past 17 years.
The Congress will issue the poll notification on December 1 and if anyone would want to contend for the succession to the party presidency, he/she will have to file nomination papers by December 4.
The party will scrutinise the nominations on December 5 and allow contender(s), if there any, to withdraw the nomination by December 11.
Election, if there is any contender, would be held on December 16 and results will be announced on December 19.
The Congress said if there is no other contender for the post, the party would announce Rahul's candidature on the last date of scrutiny, i.e. December 5.
In October, Sonia had said Rahul Gandhi would be elevated soon.
Sonia has been the Congress President since 1988, making her the longest-serving chief of the party.
She has been unwell in recent years and has scaled back her public engagements, which brought Rahul more to the forefront.
Rahul became the party's vice-president in January 2013.
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