Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi today filed nomination for the post of Congress president. Photo: Financial Express
New Delhi, India (BBN) - Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi today filed nomination for the post of Congress president.
As per the schedule, approved by the Congress Working Committee, the filing of nominations began on December 1 and will end today. After scrutiny on Tuesday, the list of valid nominations will be published at 3:30 pm, reports Financial Express an India based newspaper.
The last date for withdrawal of candidature is December 11, and the poll, if necessary, will be held on December 16 and the counting will take place on December 19. It has been learnt that at least 90 nominations have proposed Rahul Gandhi’s name for the party chief’s post. According to reports, around 800 people are expected to be present in the nomination ceremony.
Today is the last date for filing of nominations. BJP led by PM Narendra Modi has vehemently criticised the Congress’ move. While PM Modi has time to time raked up dynasty issue to attack Rahul Gandhi, BJP President Amit Shah has called the Congress a private limited party.
Congress delegates from various states are present at the party’s headquarters on Akbar Road on Monday. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, Sushil Kumar Shinda are present. Rahul Gandhi had visited Singh’s residence ahead of filing nomination. Manmohan Singh is the main proposer.
Rahul Gandhi is likely to emerge as the lone candidate in the fray and decks have been cleared for his election as the Congress president, succeeding his mother, who has held the post for 19 years in a row now.
No one else has filed papers till Sunday, according to Mullapally Ramachandran, the chairman of the party’s Central Election Authority. “So far 90 nomination forms have been given out to state unit delegates. No application for the nomination has been submitted so far andMonday is the last date for filing nominations,” Ramachandran said.
TRACK LIVE UPDATES OF RAHUL GANDHI CONGRESS PRESIDENT ELECTION
12: 40 pm: Congress leader Raj Babbar praises the simplicity and honesty of Rahul Gandhi, extends heartiest congratulations.
12: 36 pm: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister backs Rahul Gandhi, extends his best wishes.
12: 32 pm: INC’s Sushmita Dev conveys her thoughts and good wishes on Rahul Gandhi, as he files for the post of #CongressPresident
12: 28 pm: Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi takes a jibe at Rahul Gandhi, congratultes him for his “prmotion without performance.”
12: 25 pm: Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday said that Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi is the “darling” of the party and will carry forward the “great traditions” of the Congress. “Rahul Gandhi is a darling of the Congress and he will carry forward the great traditions of the party,” the former Prime Minister said after Rahul Gandhi filed his nomination papers for the party’s top post.
12: 20 pm: Former Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy extends best wishes to Rahul Gandhi on filing nomination for the post of party President.
12: 15 pm: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah criticises PM Modi for speaking on Congress’ internal matters.
12: 10 pm: Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot extends best wishes to Rahul Gandhi.
12: 04 pm: Congress leader Ajay Maken calls it the beginning of a progressive era for leadership in India.
11: 58 am: Rahul seeks blessings from former PM Manmohan Singh and former President Pranab Mukherjee.
11: 55 am: Congress leader Sachin Pilot wishes Rahul Gandhi through a video message.
11: 52 am: Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu shows his support towards Rahul Gandhi in his very own poetic way, says Congress will usher in a new era with him becoming the party President.
11: 45 am: Punjab Congress backs Rahul Gandhi, calls him visionary
11: 38 am: Shehzad Poonawalla launched a fresh salvo against Rahul Gandhi saying the Congress will place a dummy candidate to make it seem like an election.
11:33 am: Take a look at BJP national spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao’s tweet.
11:30 am: Do BJP presidents get elected? Did Nitin Gadkari get elected through a ballot process? Let them answer that first: Senior Congress leader Kamal Nath.
11:26 am: Senior party leaders including Kamal Nath, Sheila Dikshit, Motilal Vora and Tarun Gogoi filed first set of nominations(as proposers) for Rahul Gandhi.
11:23 am: Rahul Gandhi is a darling of the Congress and he will carry forward the great traditions of the party, says former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
11:20 am: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah meets Congress Vice-president Rahul Gandhi.
11:17 am: As a youth of 21st Century Rahul Gandhi missed a historical opportunity to free @INCIndia from dynastic & feudal politics. By getting ready to file nomination for Congress President in what’s a terribly opaque process @OfficeOfRG has humiliated ordinary workers, tweeted Assam Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma
11:14 am: WATCH- Take a look at the moment when Rahul Gandhi filed his nomination papers
11:11 am: Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi with former PM Manmohan Singh and other senior leaders
11:08 am: If you ask me, I think he will make a very good Prime Minister, says Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh.
11:05 am: Incumbent Congress President Sonia Gandhi was not present even as Rahul Gandhi has filed nomination.
BBN/MMI/ANS