Priyanka Gandhi takes charge of UP Congress, Scindia demits UP (West) charge

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Priyanka Gandhi takes charge of UP Congress, Scindia demits UP (West) charge

Rahul Gandhi to return on July 22-23

Harish Gupta 

New Delhi, July 19 

After the resignation of Jyotiraditya Scindia as AICC General Secretary incharge of UP (West), Priyanka Gandhi has been entrusted with the task of looking after the entire UP. Until now, Priyanka Gandhi was the AICC general secretary incharge of UP (East). After Scindia's resignation, she has been asked to look after the whole of UP.

Though no formal orders have been issued by the AICC in this regard. But Congress president Rahul Gandhi, before his departure to the USA on Wednesday, asked Priyanka Gandhi to look after the entire state until further arrangements. Rahul Gandhi has approved several appointments including that PCC Chiefs of Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh. It is also learnt that Rahul Gandhi will return to India on July 22-23 and the Congress Working Committee may meet thereafter. There is intense media speculation that Priyanka Gandhi may replace her brother as AICC president. A clamour is also growing in the party for her induction as many feel that a member of the Gandhi family can revive the party. In fact, many of the senior party leaders feel that an interim arrangement of appointing someone like Mallikarjun Kharge, Mukul Wasnik or Selja would only delay the revival of the party. They say that the Congress under the Gandhis had secured more than 11 crore votes in the May 2019 Lok Sabha polls and these can grow if Priyanka Gandhi is installed as party chief. Since Rahul Gandhi has firmly rebuffed suggestions of staging a come back, these sources say that only someone like Priyanka can take the party on the revival path. But Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is maintaining a studied silence. She has quietly taken the charge of the entire UP and held a marathon meeting of all the district presidents of UP Congress. She has already taken on the Yogi government head on. 

Perhaps, one will have to wait for a week to things to unfold in the Congress.

Ends 

1+4 formula to end Congress crisis

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

1+4 formula to end Congress crisis

Four vice presidents under one Interim president 

Harish Gupta

New Delhi, July 12

Amidst contuning crisis in Karnataka, a formula is underway to resolve the vacuum in the 150 year grand old party. If reports are to be believed, final touches are being given to the “one plus four formula”

to end 50-day old crisis which began with the sudden resignation of Congress president Rahul Gandhi.

After a series of deliberations within the Gandhi family members involving Mrs Sonia Gandhi, Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi and family loyalists like A K Antony, Dr Manmohan Singh and a couple of others, the 1+4 formula is finding favour.

This formula is that an interim president be appointed by the Congress working committee (CWC) until the organisational elections are completed as per the constitution of the party. It is now clear that the CWC meeting will be called sometime next week as the formula has taken a shape and nitty-gritty is being fixed. The CWC is the party's top decision making body and empowered to take all the decisions in the current crisis-ridden situation. The CWC may be held at the instance of Motilal Vora, senior-most general secretary of the party or Mukul Wasnik, who is currently general secretary (organisation).

With UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi firmly refusing to lead the party as interim president and Priyanka Gandhi is also being ruled out, Mallikarjun Kharge's name is finding favour. Since A K Antony firmly refused to don the mantle and Sushil Kumar Shinde has lagged behind, its Kharge who has emerged stronger given the situation. .

Once Kharge's name is decided, there will be four Vice Presidents under him representing four regions- East, West, North & South. This is what Rahul Gandhi is reported to have tossed the idea before his confidants when he met them last week.

One of the Vice presidents could be Priyanka Vadra (North), Gaurav Gogoi (North East), Mukul Wasnik (West) or Jyotiraditya Scindia and K C Venugopal (South). Venugopal was incharge of Kerala and Tamil Nadu during the Lok sabha polls and came out with flying colours.

There was also a suggestion that Capt. Amrinder Singh be brought in as Interim president. But he is disinclined due to poor health and quitting the CM's post at this juncture. Though there are many in the party who believe that his acceptability is larger at this juncture and he would be able to give a fitting reply to the BJP too. In the event of Priyanka Gandhi opting out, the name of Selja is doing the rounds.