New Delhi: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Monday last filed nomination for the post of president of the Indian National Congress, ending speculation over when he will take complete charge of the Congress Party. The new Congress president will take over from Sonia Gandhi who has been the party’s longest-serving chief. She was appointed president in 1998.
As many as 89 sets of nominations were filed for the Congress president elections.With no other person filing nomination, the 47-year-old leader of the party is set to win the election unopposed.
Article XII of the party's constitution says, "All members of the Pradesh Congress Committees shall be delegates to the Indian National Congress." In case there’s only one candidate, he or she is declared President of the next Congress Plenary Session.
If he were to faces competition, the election would have been held on December 16. The votes would have been counted and the result declared on December 19. The 131-year old political party has its own constitution which has laid down elaborate procedure to elect its President. Here's how the 'Grand Old Party' of India, elects its highest leader:
The Congress Party’s constitution lays down an elaborate process of electing its President.After the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the top executive body of the party, sets the election schedule, any ten delegates of the party may jointly propose any delegate’s name for the President’s post.
After declaration of the election procedure, delegates can file their nominations according to the specified date. The nominations are then scrutinised and a final list of candidates is published.
Like any general election, a window of seven days is given for withdrawal of nominations after names of all contestants are published. In case there’s only one candidate, he or she is declared President of the next Congress Plenary Session.
A new party president takes charge from the AICC plenary session. During the interim period between the election and the Plenary, the winner will be called as the President-elect.The term of the Congress president is five years.
In case there are multiple candidates, the winner has to secure more than 50% of the total votes.According to the Congress constitution, if no candidate gets more than 50% of the first preference votes, second preferences will be counted.
The CWC also has the powers to appoint a provisional President pending the election of a regular President by the AICC.In 2000, the then vice president of the Congress, Jitendra Prasad, had fought against Sonia Gandhi but had to bite the dust.