Congress puts off party polls by 1 year; Sonia Gandhi to carry on at helm

New Delhi: Sonia Gandhi will continue as the Congress president for up to one year after the party on Tuesday resolved to push back its internal polls by a year, signalling that Rahul Gandhi is unlikely to take over at its helm in the immediate future.

With a view to bringing in massive changes in the wake of its worst showing in the Lok Sabha polls last year, the resolution passed the Congress Working Committee puts to rest for the moment the speculation that had begun after the Congress Vice President's return from a sabbatical earlier in 2015 that he could be elevated any time this year.

Congress sources said that since the party was required to complete its organisational elections by this year-end, it now has to seek Election Commission's permission for postponing the exercise on the grounds that it needs additional time to bring in key amendments in the party Constitution.

The party will soon be informing the poll body about the decision of the CWC, Congress's apex policy-making body. Sonia Gandhi has the record of holding the longest tenure as Congress chief. She took over the party in early 1998. Her current term is expiring in December in 2015.

Upping the reservation for weaker sections -- SC, ST, OBC, minorities and women -- in party posts from 20 to 50 per cent is a key proposal accepted by the CWC with Sonia Gandhi insisting that it was "only through affirmative action that we will guarantee greater say in the working of our party to these sections of society".

Through another amendment, the party has reduced the term of membership from five years to three years. This will necessitate organisational polls every three years and not five as was decided by the party in December, 2010, at their Burari session. The term of all party office-bearers, including that of the Congress President, now stands restored to three years instead of five.

Upon conclusion of the organisational polls, a resolution of the CWC will be adopted at a Congress Plenary after which the changes will be included in the party constitution.

With the Congress vote-share plummeting in the Lok Sabha polls and a number of state elections, Sonia Gandhi told the CWC, "Our priority must be to strengthen our existing support base and actively reach out and win the confidence of new constituents."