Suspense over new Congress president likely to end at CWC meeting on Saturday

New Delhi: The Congress Working Committee (CWC) is likely to select its new interim party president, in a meeting scheduled for 11 am on Saturday at All India Congress Committee’s office in New Delhi.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi resigned from his post of the Congress chief in July taking moral responsibility of the party's defeat in the Lok Sabha election 2019.

On Friday, senior Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi took to Twitter and said that even the "slightest delay" in selecting a new president was "not an option".

On Sat, a consensus builder party pres #INC must be selected. slightest delay is not an option. In lighter vein, I gave analogy of wise men of #Vatican locked in a room indefinitely until they got a nomination! Subsequently, it has to be followed by full intra party elections. — Abhishek Singhvi (@DrAMSinghvi) August 9, 2019

Singhvi's tweet indicated that while the party would be nominating a new interim chief during the meeting, a full-time president would be elected later after intra-party elections are held.

According to news agency ANI, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said that a brief meeting was held on Friday ahead of the meeting of the top decision-making body and Congress would get a new president on Saturday.

Names of former Union Ministers Mallikarjun Kharge and Mukul Wasnik have popped up on several occasions to be the successors of Rahul Gandhi, as per reports.

According to reports, CWC is likely to accept Rahul's resignation from the post after deciding on an interim president.

Former Mumbai Congress chief Milind Deora on Friday tweeted in support of Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan Sachin Pilot, and Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia for the post of Congress president.

"To my mind, two young leaders have the administrative, organisational and electoral credentials to become Congress President," said Deora. "They have pan-India appeal and either one can reinvigorate the party," he added.