Will Rahul Gandhi become Congress president by October?

According to senior Congress leader Veerappa Moily, Rahul Gandhi is all set to take over as the party president by October.

Hyderabad, Sep 16: It's been a while since we have been hearing about Rahul Gandhi formally taking over the charge of the Congress as the party president. Currently, he holds the post of vice-president in the party. His mother Sonia Gandhi is the president of the Congress.

On Friday, senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily in Hyderabad said that Rahul is likely to emerge as the party president through an internal election process. Moily hinted that he may assume the charge as early as next month.

The Gandhi scion had recently said that he was "absolutely ready" to take up an executive responsibility if the party asked him to do so. The former Union minister said that Rahul's taking over would be a game-changer for the party.

"He (Rahul) should immediately take over as the Congress president. That's good for the party, good for the country," Moily said. "Everybody (in the Congress) feels it is (his elevation) delayed. Now, he (Rahul) is waiting for the organisation elections. He is likely to emerge as the president of the All Indian Congress Committee (AICC) only out of the election process," he said.

The internal election process in states is expected to be completed this month, which would be followed by the one at the AICC level, the former chief minister of Karnataka said.

Asked if he expected Rahul to take over next month, Moily said, "Possibly yes". On what needs to be done to boost the prospects of the Congress, he said, "Rahul is doing it. We will have to address the issues in respect of each of the state, because each state is different from the rest. So, that requires state-wise strategies not only for the coming state elections but also parliamentary polls in 2019."

Moily said Rahul has a "new approach and new method". "...definitely very much rooted with the legacy of the Congress party. It (Rahul becoming Congress president) is a game-changer. Not only game-changer but also the Congress is well-rooted in continuity and legacy... with the Congress virtues, he has an attitude for change, and he will do that," Moily said.

On what he wants Rahul to do once he assumes charge, Moily said he has to "first thoroughly reshuffle the people who are in-charge of the states, reshuffle immediately within a time-frame, all the state-level organisations right from grass-roots levels. These things will have to be reorganised."

"Our policy at the national and state levels should be reoriented and published so that people think there is always an alternative to the present National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government," he said.

On the upcoming Assembly elections in Karnataka, Moily said, "The Congress will come out with absolute majority. There is no question of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) coming back."

Now, we have to wait and watch if Moily's statement regarding Rahul's elevation is proven right by the Congress or not.

OneIndia News