Rahul may take over as Cong Prez, says Sachin Pilot; slams BJP's 'dynastic politics'

New Delhi: Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi may take over as the party’s president shortly after Diwali, Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot, a confidant of Gandhi, said on Sunday.

Stressing, that the time had come for the party vice-president to lead from the front, Pilot sought to blunt BJP’s attacks on alleged dynastic politics in the party by saying that last names of leaders should not be treated as a disqualification in politics.

Asked if Gandhi’s sister Priyanka Vadra should also enter active politics, the former minister said, “Though she belongs to the Congress party, whether she should join active politics or not is her personal decision.”

At present, the Congress is in the process of conducting organisational elections. The party’s Central Election Authority (CEA) is finalising state lists of the electoral college for the election of party president.

Insiders said that the state lists will be completed by the first week of October and anytime after that the CEA is expected to announce the schedule for elections to the post of party president.

Sources indicated that Gandhi is keen to contest elections to become the Congress president. However, a contest is unlikely as nobody else may file nomination papers to challenge Gandhi. In that eventuality, Gandhi will be elected unopposed.

Pilot said that Gandhi’s elevation in the party had been due for long. “Organisational elections of the Congress are underway and the new president could take over shortly after Diwali. It is something that has been in the pipeline for a long time,” he said.

The Election Commission of India had given the Congress time till the end of this year to complete its internal election process. The Congress had earlier taken two extensions from the EC for completing the organisational polls.

Pilot, while speaking to PTI, brushed aside BJP’s criticism that the Congress promotes dynasties. “The last names of leaders should not be treated as disqualification in politics. It is the performance of a leader that ultimately decided his worth, as a surname can only take him so far,” he said.

Pilot also held a mirror up to the BJP on dynasty politics. “The BJP should introspect. Many of their leaders are also from political families,” he said.

Pilot also hit out at the BJP, saying that a particular ideology should not be thrust upon others and there should not be any hatred in politics.

“One should have competitors and not enemies in politics and we must respect that basic tenet of democracy,” he said.