Congress top brass meets to decide on new party chief
New Delhi, Aug 9: Senior Congress leaders on Friday met UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi at her residence here ahead of the crucial Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting to decide on the new party chief.
Sources said senior leaders Ahmed Patel, A K Antony and K C Venugopal are learnt to have discussed with Sonia Gandhi some names of probables who could be made provisional president of the party, after Rahul Gandhi resigned and decided to not take back his decision despite pleas by many partymen.
Some of the names that are doing the rounds for the top post include senior party leaders Mukul Wasnik and Mallikarjun Kharge and some younger leaders.
The CWC may also form a panel of senior members to look for the new chief, the sources said.
Meanwhile, ahead of meeting, party leader Abhishek Singhvi said on Friday that any further delay in the selection of the new chief is not an option.
"On Saturday, a consensus builder party President of Congress must be selected. Slightest delay is not an option," Singhvi said on Twitter.
"In lighter vein, I gave analogy of wise men of Vatican locked in a room indefinitely until they got a nomination! Subsequently, it has to be followed by full intra party elections," he added.
A number of partymen have expressed their opinion in public, saying the delay in selecting the new Congress chief is harming the party.
Some Congressmen also made a call for Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to take over from her brother Rahul Gandhi, who quit as party chief on May 25 post the Congress's poor show in this Lok Sabha poll.
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Nagaland bypoll: Over 59 pc voter turnout recorded in Koridang seat till 1 pm
Kohima (PTI): More than 59 per cent of 22,382 electors exercised their franchise in Nagaland's Koridang assembly bypoll till 1 pm on Thursday, officials said.
The voting that commenced at 7 am across all 30 polling stations has so far been peaceful, they said.
The polling will continue till 4 pm.
"The voter turnout was 59.52 per cent till 1 pm. Polling has been peaceful," an Election Commission official said.
Security has been tightened across the constituency following violence on April 5 and 6, in which one person died, and several vehicles were damaged.
The byelection was necessitated by the demise of sitting BJP MLA Imkong L. Imchen in November last year.
A total of 22,382 electors, including 11,071 women, are eligible to decide the fate of six candidates in the fray.
The BJP, which is part of the ruling People's Democratic Alliance (PDA), has fielded the deceased MLA's son Daochier I. Imchen, while the Congress has nominated T. Chalukumba Ao for the seat. The NPP candidate is I Abenjang, and the Independents are Imchatoba Imchen, Imtiwapang, and Toshikaba.
All the candidates have exercised their franchise in the respective polling stations in the first hour of polling, the officials said.
Of the 30 polling stations, 13 have been categorised as vulnerable and 17 as critical, prompting deployment of additional security personnel and intensified surveillance. Two polling stations have been designated as all-women booths.
Counting of votes is scheduled for May 4.
