AGL 38.15 Decreased By ▼ -1.43 (-3.61%)
AIRLINK 125.07 Decreased By ▼ -6.15 (-4.69%)
BOP 6.85 Increased By ▲ 0.04 (0.59%)
CNERGY 4.45 Decreased By ▼ -0.26 (-5.52%)
DCL 7.91 Decreased By ▼ -0.53 (-6.28%)
DFML 37.34 Decreased By ▼ -4.13 (-9.96%)
DGKC 77.77 Decreased By ▼ -4.32 (-5.26%)
FCCL 30.58 Decreased By ▼ -2.52 (-7.61%)
FFBL 68.86 Decreased By ▼ -4.01 (-5.5%)
FFL 11.86 Decreased By ▼ -0.40 (-3.26%)
HUBC 104.50 Decreased By ▼ -6.24 (-5.63%)
HUMNL 13.49 Decreased By ▼ -1.02 (-7.03%)
KEL 4.65 Decreased By ▼ -0.54 (-10.4%)
KOSM 7.17 Decreased By ▼ -0.44 (-5.78%)
MLCF 36.44 Decreased By ▼ -2.46 (-6.32%)
NBP 65.92 Increased By ▲ 1.91 (2.98%)
OGDC 179.53 Decreased By ▼ -13.29 (-6.89%)
PAEL 24.43 Decreased By ▼ -1.25 (-4.87%)
PIBTL 7.15 Decreased By ▼ -0.19 (-2.59%)
PPL 143.70 Decreased By ▼ -10.37 (-6.73%)
PRL 24.32 Decreased By ▼ -1.51 (-5.85%)
PTC 16.40 Decreased By ▼ -1.41 (-7.92%)
SEARL 78.57 Decreased By ▼ -3.73 (-4.53%)
TELE 7.22 Decreased By ▼ -0.54 (-6.96%)
TOMCL 31.97 Decreased By ▼ -1.49 (-4.45%)
TPLP 8.13 Decreased By ▼ -0.36 (-4.24%)
TREET 16.13 Decreased By ▼ -0.49 (-2.95%)
TRG 54.66 Decreased By ▼ -2.74 (-4.77%)
UNITY 27.50 Decreased By ▼ -0.01 (-0.04%)
WTL 1.29 Decreased By ▼ -0.08 (-5.84%)
BR100 10,089 Decreased By -415.2 (-3.95%)
BR30 29,509 Decreased By -1717.6 (-5.5%)
KSE100 94,574 Decreased By -3505.6 (-3.57%)
KSE30 29,445 Decreased By -1113.9 (-3.65%)
World

Sonia Gandhi named as interim head of India's opposition Congress

NEW DELHI: India's Sonia Gandhi on Saturday once again took the reins of the main opposition Congress party, replaci
Published August 10, 2019

NEW DELHI: India's Sonia Gandhi on Saturday once again took the reins of the main opposition Congress party, replacing her son Rahul, who stepped down after a second straight election drubbing by right-wing Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The 49-year-old Rahul Gandhi, who was seeking to become the fourth member of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty to become prime minister, quit in July after the latest big loss at the polls in the April-May elections.

The great-grandson, grandson and son of three past premiers of the world's biggest democracy, Gandhi had set out to rejuvenate the party after it lost to Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2014 election.

But he struggled to shed his image as a privileged, dynastic scion.

Congress has dominated Indian politics since independence in 1948, but it has seen a spectacular collapse in support in the past decade.

Critics have blamed Rahul Gandhi's lacklustre leadership and political management for the party's setbacks.

The party was divided over his departure, with many asking him to stay on, fearing more desertions and infighting if a non-Gandhi took charge.

But others believed the party could benefit from a fresh start, with a leader from outside the family.

Sonia Gandhi, 72, was nevertheless unanimously chosen to lead as "interim president," the party's working committee announced late Saturday.

Rahul had replaced his mother at the helm in December 2017.

Before that, she had led the party since 1998 following the assassination of her husband Rajiv.

She helped lead a Congress-led coalition to victory in national elections in 2004 and 2009.

Party veterans hope she can ensure stability until a permanent president is elected.

"Congratulations @INCIndia working committee for making the best decision in current circumstances, requesting Sonia Gandhi to take over as interim president pending the election of a regular president," Shashi Tharoor, a former minister and national lawmaker from the party, said on Twitter.

Critics say that Congress needs to make some urgent changes to its leadership if it wants to stay relevant and challenge Modi's BJP.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Press), 2019
 

Comments

Comments are closed.