Cong prez poll on, Rahul's likely election declaration on Dec 11

The Congress presidential election was set in motion on Friday and party vice president Rahul Gandhi is likely to be declared elected unopposed on December 11.

Central Election Authority (CEA) chairman  Mullapally Ramachandran  issued a  notification for filing of nominations. He stayed put at party headquarters to accept nomination papers from anyone willing to contest.

Rahul Gandhi is expected to be elected President if no one else enters the fray. Congress sources said a few forms were issued by CEA but refused to say who were the recipients.

Any person keen to contest requires to get his candidature endorsed by at least 10 delegates from the state unit and has to be a primary member of the Congress.

PCC delegates from all states are expected to file   nomination papers favouring Rahul, who was appointed vice president in January 2013. Besides the state units, senior leaders such as former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Sheila Dikshit, Ahmed Patel, Mohsina Kidwai, among others, are expected to propose the candidature of Rahul for the top post.

Rahul is expected to file his nomination papers forenoon on Monday, the last date for filing nomination. The papers will be scrutinised on Tuesday and the list of valid nominations will be published the same day.

However, the Congress will wait for the entire poll process to play out before making a formal announcement of Rahul Gandhi's election on December 11.

Show of strength  

Congress is also planning a show of strength on December 11 by mobilising party leaders and workers for the grand event. Rahul will succeed his mother Sonia Gandhi, who has been the Congress President for 19 years.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a swipe at the presidential election of the Congress. "There are three elections going on, one for UP local bodies, one for Gujarat (Assembly) and the third one for the Congress president. In the first two the BJP is sure to win. And in the third one, no one except one family will win," Modi said while campaigning in Gujarat.