New Delhi: While the national leadership of the Congress remains clueless about a new president for the party after Rahul Gandhi submitted his resignation, some names are already doing the rounds. Party sources said that a decision will be taken after weighing the pros and cons of each potential leader. Meanwhile, apart from the national president, the party is looking at appointing working presidents at the regional level too.
These are some of names being considered to succeed Rahul Gandhi as the Congress chief:
• Sachin Pilot (41): Currently the Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan. If the party is looking at a young leader for the party president's post, Sachin Pilot fits the bill perfectly. He is credited for successfully spearheading assembly election campaign as the PCC chief, but faced a huge setback in the Lok Sabha elections.
• Mukul Wasnik (59): Equally acceptable by both the young and old leaders in the party. A former national president of the NSU and the Youth Congress, Wasnik is a known Nehru-Gandhi family loyalist. An AICC general secretary for long, Wasnik has the support of senior leaders. The party believes that since Maharashtra is going to assembly polls soon, making a Dalit leader from the state the party president will help it reap rich dividends.
• Jyotiraditya Scindia (48): Rahul Gandhi's trusted man. Though there are demands that Scindia be made the party chief as a representative of youth, Scindia made it clear recently that he is not interested in the post. He has also resigned from the post of AICC general secretary.
• Mallikarjun Kharge (76): He is prominent among senior leaders in the party. Those seeking a party chief from south India support Kharge, a Dalit leader from Karnataka.
• Sushil Kumar Shinde (77): A former Union home minister, Shinde is also a senior Dalit leader from Maharashtra.
• Ashok Gehlot (68): He is the Chief Minister of Rajasthan. It is argued that his past role as general secretary in-charge of organisation and training will help him in leading the party. But, Gehlot is reluctant to leave the chief minister's seat.
• Ghulam Nabi Azad (70): The senior-most among party general secretaries in terms of tenure. But a section of the leaders says that making a minority community member the party chief will damage the party, besides giving the BJP enough opportunity to take advantage.
• Sonia Gandhi (72) or Priyanka Gandhi (47): There is strong demand that one of them should come forward to rescue the party from the current crisis it is in. Ill health may not allow Sonia to take up the post. Since Rahul made it clear that nobody from the Gandhi family should succeed him, the chances of Priyanka becoming the party chief are low.