Sonia Signs Party Papers To Make Rahul Congress President

New Delhi: Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Monday signed as the first proposer on the first nomination paper submitted for the election of her son and party Vice President Rahul Gandhi to the post of party chief.

Congress leader Ashok Gehlot said Sonia Gandhi's signatures were at the top of the first nomination form submitted to the returning officer Mullappally Ramachandran in the election being held at the party's central office to elect the party's next chief.

"She (Sonia Gandhi) has signed. Her signatures are the first on the first proposal (nomination form) submitted for Rahul Gandhi," Gehlot told Aaj Tak news channel. Monday is the last date for filing nominations for the post of Congress chief. Gehlot, who is party incharge of poll-bound Gujarat, also lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his remarks about the Congress organisational elections.

"The affection that Rahul Gandhi is getting in Gujarat is worth seeing. The Prime Minister is making comments about Congress organisational elections out of frustration. He should not have made such remarks. There is dignity attached to the post of Prime Minister," Gehlot said.

Modi had accused Congress of "lacking internal democracy" during an election rally on Sunday. Gehlot also said that decisions concerning the BJP leadership are made by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. "I want to ask the Prime Minister, (BJP president) Amit Shah, is there democracy in your party? The RSS decides who will be the BJP president, who will be Chief Minister and who will be the Prime Minister. What right they have to talk like this?" He said that seats were going empty at Modi rallies in Gujarat.

"Wait for Gujarat election results. Then there are polls in the states and then people will give their verdict in the 2019 polls. The way 'Modi, Modi, Modi' slogans use to be raised in the last election...See the meetings of yesterday, chairs were empty. There is frustration over defeat in Gujarat," he said. He said the future of the Congress and the country will be bright under Rahul Gandhi and the support he is getting is reflected in Gujarat.

Congress Presidential Poll: 89 Nominations Filed in Support of Rahul

The election for choosing a new Congress president saw 89 sets of nominations being filed on Monday - all likely in support of Rahul Gandhi as the new party chief.

Talking to the media after the process was over for filing of nominations, Mullappally Ramachandran, returning officer for the election, said "89 nominations had been filed on Monday, the last day." He did not give further details and said these will be given after the scrutiny of nominations is done on Tuesday.

Sources, however, said all the nominations were for "one candidate". The office for conducting the party's presidential election had distributed a total of 90 nominations. Sources said one form was not filed apparently because it did not have signatures of the stipulated 10 delegates. Ramachandran said the nomination forms had been signed by a total 890 delegates. Party president Sonia Gandhi had signed the first nomination form submitted for Rahul Gandhi, who is all set to become the next Congress chief. The maximum number of nominations were from Uttar Pradesh, the country's most populous state.