New Delhi, May 27
Ms Sonia Gandhi is set to be declared elected as Congress President for another consecutive term as the deadline for filing nominations ended today with no challenge to her candidature.
Nearly 100 sets of nominations had been made in favour of Ms Gandhi by the party units in various states. The formal announcement about her re-election will be made tomorrow.
AICC Central Election Authority Chairman Oscar Fernandes said the scrutiny of nominations would take place tomorrow morning after which Ms Gandhi would be declared elected unopposed.
The re-election of Mrs Gandhi was a foregone conclusion as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and several senior leaders, party Chief Ministers and union ministers filed a total of 100 nominations proposing her name for the top party post.
There was no challenger to Mrs Gandhi unlike the previous election when senior leader late Jitendra Prasada had thrown his hat in the ring.
The entire party rallied round Mrs Gandhi in the election for the top party post.
Mrs Gandhi is now also the UPA Chairperson after she renounced the Prime Ministership and nominated Manmohan Singh for the post after the Lok Sabha polls a year back.
She is also the head of the National Advisory Council on the National Common Minimum Programme (NCMP).
This has been the first organisational election in Congress after the Congress-led UPA came to power at the Centre.
Mrs Gandhi had taken over as party President in 1998 replacing Sitaram Kesri.
The first set of papers had been signed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Cabinet colleagues Shivraj Patil, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Arjun Singh, G. Venkataswamy and P.R. Kyndiah and senior party leaders Ambika Soni, M.L. Fotedar, Digvijay Singh and Mohsina Kidwai.
Congress’ gen-next leadership led by Rahul Gandhi, MP from Amethi and son of the Congress President, had also filed a nomination proposing her name.
The election for the post of the party President had been slated for June 9. Since it has become clear that Mrs Gandhi is the only candidate in the fray, there is no need for any polling.
