Even if Rahul Gandhi isn't Congress chief...: Chidambaram on party election, cites BJP consensus example

Amid growing speculation over who the next President of the Indian National Congress party would be, senior leader P. Chidambaram said that it would be better if the party chief is chosen by consensus.

Chidambaram said this was the case with BJP's current president JP Nadda, as well as his predecessors Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, and Nitin Gadkari.

Chidambaram added that even if Rahul Gandhi is not officially the Congress President, he will remain the acknowledged leader of the rank and file of the party. The Rajya Sabha MP said that Rahul Gandhi will always have a "pre-eminent" place in the party.

Chidambaram's comments in an interview to news agency PTI came even as the Congress' Rajasthan unit passed a resolution for Rahul Gandhi to be party chief.

Gandhi is currently participating in the Bharat Jodo Yatra, a 150-day march from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, covering 3,570 km over 12 states.

The Congress is preparing for internal elections to choose the next President. Nominations are set to be filed in the last week of September, and elections, if needed, will be held on 17 October 2022.

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