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SONIA Gandhi Appointed INC’s Interim Prez As BJP Emerges Pan India Strongest Political Force

SONIA  Gandhi, UPA Chairperson and Congress Parliamentary  Party  Leader,  has been  unanimously  elected  Interim President  of India’s  134 years old  political party  following   repeated  refusals  of  Rahul Gandhi  to reconsider  his resignation following  party’s dismal performance in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The party’s top decision-making body, the Working Committee, decided late on Saturday night, August 10, after a marathon meeting to choose Italy born Sonia Gandhi, 72, as successor to her son Rahul Gandhi. The decision signalled failure on the part of the party leaders to choose a successor to Rahul Gandhi outside the Nehru- Gandhi family. Rahul Gandhi had announced his decision to quit the party’s top post in May after its disastrous performance in the Lok Sabha election. This morning, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi had excused themselves from the zonal body meetings, saying they cannot be part of the selection process. Delhi born Rahul Gandhi took over as the president of the Congress in December 2017 succeeding Sonia Gandhi. She had taken over from Sitaram Kesri in 1998 as President of INC and remained as the longest ever serving party’s president till she handed over the baton to her son. Welcoming the decision to assign Sonia Gandhi to lead the INC, Punjab Chief Minister Amarendra  Singh said  her  appointment as interim president of the Congress is  the “best decision in the current circumstances”. He said her “experience and understanding” will help guide the party, which suffered a big setback in the national election this year. Congress MP and former MOS Manish Tiwari said Sonia Gandhi has the “right experience” to guide the party. “Overseeing the affairs of Congress since several years, Sonia Gandhi has the right experience to guide the party in the present circumstances. Sonia   Gandhi was party president for 19 years and during this period, the Congress headed two back-to-back governments at the centre. Last month, when asked if she was open to taking over as temporary party chief, she was non-committal. Battling health problems, she had significantly reduced her public engagements and she has hardly campaigned during recent elections, says NDTV.In 2019 Parliamentary elections she was re-elected from Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh. This is is the only seat won by INC in the last Lok Sabha poll in the state represented by 80 Members in the   Lower House of Parliament. Smriti Irani, fiery BJP leader and Textiles Minister, defeated   Rahul Gandhi in his Amethi Lok Sabha Constituency. Sonia Gandhi  having cordial relations with several Opposition leaders , has an arduous task  of  heading  the party facing  assembly  elections in Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Haryana and Delhi  later this year and then in Jammu & Kashmir which go to the poll after  delimitation of the constituencies .

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