Congress today extended its enrollment drive for the fourth time "till further intimation" keeping up the suspense over Rahul Gandhi's elevation, which was widely speculated to be taking place this year coinciding with the conclusion of organisational plans.
"The earlier deadline for the membership drive, which came to an end today has been extended till further intimation," a senior party functionary said on the condition of anonymity.
The decision was taken by the Central Election Authority of Congress, headed by senior leader Mullappally Ramachandran, which will shortly announce a revised schedule for the party elections, sources said.
Amid speculation that Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi may be anointed as the next party chief, AICC had announced its schedule for organisational elections in which the next Congress President was to be elected by September 30.
When the organisational elections were first announced, the last date for enrollment of new members was fixed at February 28. It was then extended to March 31, then to May 15 and again to June 15.
A highlight of the earlier schedule was that for the first time, party polls were to be held in two phases, with the first phase covering 18 states and Union Territories and the second involving the rest.
Sonia Gandhi set a record for having the longest tenure at the helm of the oldest political party when she completed 17 years as Congress President on March 14.
She took the top party post in 1998, replacing the late Sitaram Kesri at a time when Congress was faced with a crisis with the BJP in the ascendant.
This time, the organisational polls are being held against the backdrop of the party's worst debacle in Lok Sabha polls last year. It could manage just 44 seats in the last Lok Sabha elections after being in power for a decade.
The talk is growing in the organisation that sooner rather than later Sonia will pass the mantle to her son Rahul, who was made the Congress Vice President in January 2013 at the Jaipur Chintan Shivir.
What could further delay the organisational polls in the party is that Bihar assembly elections are scheduled before October and panchayat elections due in several states. In Gujarat too, the municipality elections were to be held in September.
There was speculation about an AICC plenary later this year to elect the working committee and give new direction to the party under the new president.
