Congress president Sonia Gandhi will pass on the baton to son Rahul on December 16, wrapping up a close to 20-year-long presidency of the grand old party.
And while there is a lot of interest with regard to what changes Rahul would bring in the party and what he will do to revive its sagging fortunes, there is enormous speculation on what would be Sonia's role in the new scheme of things.
It is widely believed that while Sonia will cease to be party president, she will not recede from the political front completely. Even as she passes on the reins of the party to Rahul, senior Congress leaders say a political retirement is ruled out for the time being.
The 71-year-old leader, whose decision to relinquish party responsibilities was primarily driven by health reasons, is expected to continue in a mentor-like role, believe leaders. “She is above the post of president of the party. She is above any post in the party,” said senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad.
There is buzz that she may not want to continue as head of the Congress Parliamentary Party and leave it to the new party chief to decide the party's strategy in Parliament. However, the Congress would want her to be available for discussions with other parties when it comes to charting a coordinated attack on the Narendra Modi government, or forming an alliance in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections in 2019.
It is believed that Rahul is yet to attain the stature that will allow him to deal with senior leaders from the opposition bloc with a sense of authority. Many of them have a better rapport with Sonia than with Rahul. And getting allies will be crucial for the party if it hopes to challenge Modi in the next Lok Sabha elections.
Senior leaders in the party too would want her to continue in some kind of an advisory role as Rahul eases into his new role. Many of them are more comfortable working with her, and have apprehensions about where they will be in the new set-up.
