Rahul Gandhi likely to be declared as Congress president today

NEW DELHI: Rahul Gandhi is expected to be named as Congress president on Monday. However, the Gandhi scion will officially take over the reins from his mother Sonia Gandhi on December 16.

The announcement of Rahul Gandhi's elevation is likely to be made today, the last date of withdrawal of nomination for the election of the Congress president which is a one horse race.

Altogether 89 nominations received in his favour were found to be valid during scrutiny.

On November 20, the Congress Working Committee had passed a resolution to make Rahul the party president.

The CWC meeting was attended by Sonia Gandhi, Rahul, Manmohan Singh along with senior party leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Ahmed Patel.

The meeting was convened at Sonia's residence.

Gandhi, who became the Congress Vice President in January 2013, will succeed his mother Sonia, the longest-serving Congress chief who has helmed the party since 1998.

The 47-year-old Gandhi will be the sixth Nehru-Gandhi scion to helm the party after his great great grandfather Motilal Nehru, great grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru, grandmother Indira Gandhi and father Rajiv Gandhi.

While pageantry would herald the dawn of a new era in the party which has ruled the country for over half-a-century since independence, the 47-year-old scion of the Nehru-Gandhi family will face the daunting task of restoring lost glory to the party whose fortunes have been dwindling in the recent past.

Today, the party, which once controlled almost the entire country, has its governments in just five states and the Union Territory of Puducherry.