New Delhi, July 27: The election of Sonia Gandhi as Congress President for the third consecutive time is likely by end of August after the monsoon session of Parliament is over.
Congress Working Committee will announce a detailed schedule for the election, though there is no immediate official word from the party on when the CWC would meet, party sources said.
The whole exercise generally takes around a fortnight after CWC finalises the schedule.
As per the earlier schedule, Gandhi was set to be re-elected by July 25. However, the delay in completion of organisational polls appears to have extended her election.
Gandhi created a record of being the longest-serving party President and completed over a decade since she took over the top post in 1998, in the wake of the party’s dismal showing in the Lok Sabha polls that saw the exit of Sitaram Kesri from the post.
Gandhi has so far been unanimously elected for the post barring once when Jitendra Prasada, a senior leader from Uttar Pradesh, had thrown his hat in the ring but failed miserably in the polls in 2000.
The AICC plenary is likely in Mumbai by the year end to mark the completion of 125 years of the party’s formation. Delhi could also be a likely venue given the fact that big stadiums would be available in good conditions after the Commonwealth Games.
A senior AICC functionary said that the country has been divided into five zones for the celebrations and there would be one zonal conference in each of them, for which a coordination committee has already been formed.
AICC General Secretary in-charge of the state which will host the conference would be the coordinator with the PCC chief and CLP leaders of the state concerned as members of the committee, he said.
Though the dates for the proposed zonal conferences have not yet been formalised, it is expected to be announced shortly. “They have almost decided the venues where the conferences would be held,” he said.
–Agencies