Congress passes a resolution to make Rahul Gandhi new president

The Congress Working Committee on Monday passed a resolution to make way for Rahul Gandhi's appointment as party president, after a meeting at Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's 10 Janpath residence.

At the meeting, the Congress Working Committee also approved the schedule for the party presidential elections.

Here is the list:

1 December: Notification for the party presidential poll.

4 December: Last date for filing nomination.

5 December: Publication of list of valid nominees (3:30 pm).

11 December: Last date for withdrawal of nomination and final list of contesting candidates (3 pm).

16 December: Polling.

19 December: Counting and results.

Rahul Gandhi is expected to be the only candidate in the fray. On the last day of filing the nomination, if no other contestant files his/her nomination against Gandhi, then he will be declared President unopposed. The CWC meeting was attended by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, former prime minister Manmohan Singh along with senior party leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Ahmed Patel. The party has time until December 31 to complete the entire organisational election process and submit the report to the Election Commission.

The Congress had earlier set a deadline to complete the organisational elections by October-end. Party leaders say though it is not necessary to convene a formal meeting of the CWC to approve the schedule of the presidential election, Sonia Gandhi has decided to get the approval of the party's highest decision-making body. Rahul's elevation has been long awaited and is finally looking real. Rahul had taken over as party vice-president in January 2013.