Rahul Gandhi may take over as Congress president after Assembly polls: Sheila Dikshit

The subject of Rahul Gandhi’s elevation as Indian National Congress President has been long-discussed, but now it seems that the stage is all set for his anointment. Former Delhi chief minister and senior Congress leader Sheila Dikshit on Friday told leading daily Times Of  India in an interview that Rahul Gandhi’s promotion from vice-president to president of the party may happen in 2017.  “Everything is being kept on hold waiting for Rahul and this should happen after assembly elections are over,” she has been quoted as saying. Expressing her opinion, Dikshit said that the old party now needs some changes in the leadership on posts that have been occupied for decades.

Showering praise on Congress star campaigner Priyanka Gandhi, Dikshit said that she is a fantastic leader who played an important role in the formation of the Congress-SP alliance in Uttar Pradesh. We are all hoping that both Rahul and Priyanka take up positions in the party. However, she did not stress much on whether Priyanka will enter active politics or not.

Sheila Dikshit, however, refuted all reports which claimed that she had stopped campaigning after she stepped down as Congress’s CM candidate for Uttar Pradesh. “I have gone wherever the party has asked me to go. I was supposed to go to Kanpur and Varanasi, but then I fell ill so I could not go. Now I am better and will soon be going to Varanasi,” Dikshit told Times Of India. Earlier Sheila Dikshit was named as Congress’s CM face in Uttar Pradesh, but after SP-Congress alliance she stepped down saying, “Akhilesh Yadav is a much better Chief Ministerial candidate than me.”

On Samajwadi Party and Congress alliance, Sheila Dikshit said that all initial hiccups between the parties have been resolved. This is an era of visibility and Akhilesh Yadav is above everyone else.  “Mayawati does not have that style so she is there but not too much. BJP does not have a leader for UP. The PM is going there very frequently but everyone understands that he will not be CM. We believe Muslims are coming out very strongly with this alliance and of course, the Yadavs will be there. Rahul and Akhilesh campaigning together has had a positive impact,” Dikshit told Times Of India.

On being asked about her retirement from politics, Dikshit said that she will abide by party directive. “I have no greed I am very satisfied. For if tomorrow, the party gives me an important role why shall I speak of retirement.”