Why Rahul Gandhi Has to Wait

The old guard in the Congress has prevailed and ensured that Sonia Gandhi gets an extension as party chief. Which also brings to the fore the widespread perception within, as outside, that the young Nehru-Gandhi scion and son of Sonia, Rahul Gandhi, is not yet ready to take up the challenge, especially when the Congress’ electoral fortunes have hit a historical low. The decision by the Congress Working Committee, the party’s highest decision-making body, to extend Sonia’s term by a year went against expectations that Rahul would take over rightaway. Sonia is the party’s longest-serving chief.

Within the party, Rahul has incurred the wrath of the old guard, a group of loyalists close to Rahul’s mother Sonia, over what they view as unilateral decisions by Rahul— which they think has left the party in dire straits. Besides, the decision by Sonia Gandhi to stay on shows that she wants to stand by her loyalist senior leaders who would have otherwise lost their positions with Rahul as party chief.

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