Senior Congress leader and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot urged party MP Rahul Gandhi to accept the post of Congress president. The remarks came as the countdown began for the election of Congress president.

"If Rahul Gandhi does not become the party president, it will be a disappointment for the Congressmen across the country. He should understand the sentiments of Congress workers and accept this post," said Gehlot.

#WATCH | If Rahul Gandhi does not become the party president, it will be a disappointment for the Congressmen across the country. He should understand the sentiments of Congress workers and accept this post...: Congress leader and Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, in Jaipur yesterday pic.twitter.com/5lZq7H1vSS

— ANI (@ANI) August 23, 2022

The party's election authority has said it will stick to the schedule of electing a new chief by September 20.

"The unanimous opinion is in support of his becoming the president. So, I think he should accept it. It is not about Gandhi or non-Gandhi family. It is the work of the organisation and no one is becoming a prime minister," he said.

As of today, there is no clarity on whether Rahul will agree to run for the Congress president's post, with large sections of the party noting that he seemed "disinterested".

In May 2019, Sonia Gandhi had agreed to become interim president of the party after Rahul resigned following the Congress debacle in general elections. For several months after May 2019, there was complete silence within the Congress circles on the election of a full-time party chief until late July 2020 when G-23 leaders in a letter to Sonia Gandhi sought urgent elections across all levels of the party, to revive its sagging electoral fortunes.

First Published:Aug 23, 2022 10:36 AM IST