Congress president Sonia Gandhi has called a meeting of the Congress Working Committee on Monday to finalise the schedule for election to the party's top post.
The entire process would span 10-15 days. However, Rahul's election as Congress president could be announced much before that. In case there is no contest, which appears to be the likely scenario, he could be declared party chief following the last day meant for withdrawing nomination.
Earlier, it was said that Rahul's elevation to the top post in the party would happen by the end of October. The process of election at the PCC level was completed by the initial half of October, and the plan was to announce the schedule for election of Congress president immediately after that.
However, the party quietly delayed the process as the pros and cons of Rahul's elevation before or after the assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh were discussed.
While Rahul is said to have been ready to campaign for the elections as Congress chief, a section in the party felt it would be preferable for his appointment to happen after the polls were over. The idea was to insulate him from criticism in the event of an electoral loss. It was also felt that if he takes over the party during electioneering, it would distract from the party's election campaign.
