Congress president should be from Gandhi family: V Hanumantha Rao

Ahead of party president elections, Senior Congress leader and former Rajya Sabha member V Hanumantha Rao on Thursday stressed that the party chief should be from the Gandhi family.

"I request all the delegates across the country that people are familiar with the Gandhi family, it might be Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi or Priyanka Gandhi. If Rahul Gandhi doesn't want to stand, then Priyanka Gandhi should be elected and she should come forward," said Congress leader V Hanumantha Rao.

He further slammed the veteran leader Ghulam Nabi Azad for resigning from the grand old party.

"Ghulam Nabi was saying this election is a fraud, he was president and I know that I am a party worker and I got the chance earlier. Ghulam Nabi didn't do good for the Congress party, while the party was in crisis," he added.

Earlier on Sunday, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) decided that the election for the Congress president post will be held on October 17, said sources.

The counting of the votes will be done on October 19.

The Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting to discuss the final schedule for the election of the Congress president was held on August 28.

Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra joined the meeting via virtual meeting. Former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh also joined the meeting virtually.

This comes in the backdrop of the party's senior leader Gulam Nabi Azad's resignation on August 26.