Gandhi family not to be involved in party, new chief from South?

However, better counsel is now prevailing where he has accepted that he will lead the Congress party in the Lok Sabha where its strength from a paltry 44 has gone up to 52, an increase of a mere eight MPs. Sonia Gandhi will remain UPA Chairperson and the family/dynasty will distance itself from day-to-day affairs of the party.

All three Gandhi family members - Sonia, Rahul and Priyanka - will not be involved in the daily functioning of the party. An interim Working President with two or more working Vice Presidents in a loosely-formed presidium will run the party operations and plan for elections and campaigns.

KC Venugopal may emerge as interim President while Prithviraj Chauhan could be one of the Vice Presidents. Given that the Congress has 23 MPs from the south, it appears that a south Indian will helm the party for the time being. Or alternatively, cut the umbilical cord with the past and appoint Jyotiraditya Scindia as the Working President and have the youth brigade of Sachin Pilot, Milind Deora and others under him to turn the party’s fortunes around.

In the ensuing vacuum, Treasurer Ahmed Patel, once Political Secretary to Sonia Gandhi, is back to hold the reins. But the Young Turks are determined to dislodge the old guard. Pilot and Scindia are in the forefront to back Gandhi in his “clean-up” attempt. Sources said that in his outburst at the CWC meeting after the Lok Sabha defeat, Gandhi had selectively targeted theold guard.