With Sonia Gandhi unwilling to return as Congress president for another term due to her health, and son Rahul Gandhi likewise hesitant, a non-Gandhi might be considered for this position, which has not happened in the 23 years since Sonia Gandhi became Congress president in 1998.
Senior politician Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has been mentioned as a possible candidate for party president.
Gehlot, on the other hand, downplayed any such developments, claiming that he learned about them from media accounts.
When asked if he contemplated running for President of the United States Congress, he stated: “I’ll never be the candidate. I follow the orders of the highest command. I’ve always been a disciplined soldier. I intend to remain so.”
Congress must choose a new leader before September 20.
Rahul Gandhi has declined to return as Congress president after resigning in the aftermath of the party’s humiliating defeat in the 2019 national election. He allegedly stated that it is time for a non-Gandhi to take the helm.
Sonia Gandhi has stated that she is unable to continue in the post due to ill health.
Mr Gehlot stated earlier this week that Rahul Gandhi must respect the views of Congresspeople and accept the top job, amid speculation that he tops the list of “non-Gandhi” candidates before the party.
“If Rahul Gandhi does not become the party’s president, the country’s Congressmen would be disappointed. Many individuals will stay at home, and we will suffer as a result. He (Rahul Gandhi) should embrace this position on his own, knowing the views of the country’s common Congresspeople “Mr Gehlot stated.
Non-Gandhi post-independence presidents:
1948-’49: Pattabhi Sitaraimayya, a doctor by profession, was elected as the party chairman of the Jaipur session and became the first President of the Congress Party in independent India.
’50 – Purushottam Das Tandon was a leading activist for Hindi to be declared India’s national language in 1950. A distinguished Urdu and Persian scholar
1960-’63: Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy, an Andhra Pradesh politician who went on to become India’s sixth President from 1977 to 1982.
1964-’67: From the death of Jawaharlal Nehru in 1964 to the Congress split in 1969, K Kamaraj played a pivotal role in deciding India’s fate.
1968-’69: Siddavanalli Nijalingappa was a lawyer by profession who played a key part in Karnataka’s unification and finally became the state’s first chief minister.
1970-’71: Jagjivan Ram, better known as Babuji, believed that Dalit leaders should struggle not just for social changes but also for political participation.
1972-’74: Shankar Dayal Sharma, President of India from 1992 to 1997, headed the Indian team at the 1959 UNESCO Conference on Primary and Secondary Education in Karachi, Pakistan.
1975-1977: Devankanta Barua, famous for his phrase “India is Indira, Indira is India,” was a firm supporter who ultimately joined the anti-Indira party after the Congress split.
1992-1996: PV Narasimha Rao, India’s ninth Prime Minister, inherited an economy to the point of debt owing to the collapse of the Soviet Union.
1996-’98: Sitaram Kesri, a 13-year-old boy, joined the Bihar liberation struggle and eventually became a state youth leader. He then served as a federal minister under Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, and PV Narasimha Rao. Kesri’s tenure as Congress President ended in the great drama, when he faced a coup attempt by Sonia Gandhi loyalists.
