Sonia offers to resign as Cong chief, Bhupinder Singh Hooda frontrunner

New Delhi: Amid the clamor for a revival of Congress central leadership, Haryana former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda might emerg victorious and could be appointed as the next Congress party president.

Since Rahul Gandhi is not keen on taking over the president post again, party sources said that four names — Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Ashok Gehlot, Captain Amarinder Singh, and Kamal Nath — were discussed as alternative choice. But most likely, Hooda's name could be accepted as a common choice for full-time Congress president post. Hooda was chief minister of Haryana for 10 years and the state party president for 6 years. He still commands influence in his home state and has a huge support base. Although he faced a lot of onslaughts from CBI, he enjoys the confidence of the Gandhi family.

After 23 senior Congress leaders in a letter to party chief Sonia Gandhi asked for "full time" leadership, she is learnt to have asked to find a new chief as she was not keen to continue as interim president. However, the party's chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala has denied that 'she has spoken to anyone or written any letter'.

If Congress sources are to be believed, Sonia Gandhi favours the idea of full-time presidentship to revive the party nationally and create a collective leadership taking all senior leaders into confidence. Because of illness, she could not attend the August 15 function at AICC headquarters and could not visit the Veer Bhumi memorial to pay tribute to her late husband, Rajiv Gandhi, on his birth anniversary.

According to party insiders, the further course of action in the matter of "dissent letter" would be decided during the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, which is scheduled on Monday.

Amid the massive controversy over a "dissent" letter by 23 top party leaders calling for introspection and "a full-time, visible leadership", the reports surfaced that 73-year-old Sonia Gandhi would either resign immediately or give the party a deadline to find a new chief.

However, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala denied reports that Sonia Gandhi has resigned as party president. "Reports of Sonia Gandhi resigning from the post of Congress interim president are false," said Surjewala on Sunday.

The dissent letter, dated August 7 and signed by senior leaders like Kapil Sibal, Shashi Tharoor, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Prithviraj Chavan, Vivek Tankha and Anand Sharma, sought sweeping changes in the organization. Pointing to the decisive support among the youth for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it said the party is in decline as the country faces "gravest political, social and economic challenges since Independence". Sources, however, said none of the 23 leaders "show any disregard to Gandhi family".

Moreover, the recent decision of replacing Avinash Pandey as a general secretary incharge of Rajasthan with Ajay Maken has created disenchantment among senior leaders.

Meanwhile, messages of support for the Gandhi family have started coming in from various quarters in the party. Those speaking in support include Chief Ministers Ashok Gehlot, Bhupesh Baghel and Captain Amarinder Singh, along with state party chiefs like DK Shivakumar (Karnataka) and Ripun Bora (Assam).

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has opposed the bid by some Congress leaders to challenge the Gandhi family leadership in the party, saying this is not the time to raise such an issue.

"The move by these Congress leaders to demand a rehaul of the party at this critical juncture would be detrimental to its interests, and the interests of the nation," the CM said.

"What the Congress needs is a leadership that is acceptable not just to a few but to the entire party, through its rank and file, and the nation at large," he said, adding that the Gandhis were the right fit for this role.