Sonia to continue as Cong's interim president till new leader is elected

New Delhi: A day before the end of Ms Sonia Gandhi's tenure as interim Congress president  on August 10, party leader and spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi on Sunday said that the former will continue as the  party's interim president till a new leader is chosen as per the procedure laid down in the party constitution.

Addressing reporters here, the AICC spokesperson said, ''Just like nature abhors a vacuum, political parties cannot function in a vacuum. It is true that the tenure is expiring tomorrow. In the meanwhile, if anyone is suggesting that the Congress will become headless on the midnight of August 10, is it possible? Will that a fair interpretation of the constitution? There is a laid down procedure in the Party constitution for elections.  Now, in the meanwhile, Sonia Gandhi Ji is the president, she will continue till such time as a proper procedure is implemented in not too distant future.''He said that the procedure to elect the new party president will be set in motion soon.

"I assure you, there is a procedure for this  which goes through the Congress Working Committee (CWC) and it will be done very soon in near future. And since we are bound by our constitution, a decision will be made and you will be informed about it,"  Singhvi said.Ms Gandhi's tenure as interim president is coming to an end on August 10. (UNI)