With Rahul Gandhi having stepped down as Congress president and the party expected to choose a new leader the following week, an opinion column has argued that the Congress has a chance to change the way political parties are run in India. The writer links the turmoil in states such as Goa and Karnataka to the leadership vacuum, and says some of it will settle once a new chief takes charge, though other challenges will remain for years.

How the Congress may choose

The column notes that the selection process was unclear. Reports citing party sources said senior figures and Congress chief ministers had asked colleagues to suggest names in sealed envelopes; the most popular names would be shortlisted and sent to the Congress Working Committee, which would then pick the president. Of the CWC’s 24 members, four are women: Ambika Soni, Kumari Selja, Priyanka Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi. Among its 20 men are Manmohan Singh, the former prime minister, Ahmed Patel, and three former chief ministers, Tarun Gogoi, Oomen Chandy and Siddaramaiah.

Lessons from the UK and US

• United Kingdom: the ruling Conservative Party is choosing a new leader, who will become prime minister. A field of about 10 was cut to two, Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt, by MPs, and around 1.2 lakh party members will make the final choice.
• United States: 25 Democrats have entered the race to take on Donald Trump in 2020, including Joe Biden, Tulsi Gabbard and Kamala Harris. Party members vote state by state, beginning in Iowa on 3 February and continuing till June. According to the column, roughly 12 crore Americans vote, with 4.5 crore registered as Democrats and 3.2 crore as Republicans.

The column’s argument

The writer argues that family-run parties exist in every Indian state but that nepotism is not the main problem. The bigger issue, the column says, is the lack of internal democracy: Lok Sabha, assembly and municipal tickets are handed out without any party vote, and Rajya Sabha nominations lack transparency. It argues that the Congress could change this, first in how it picks its leader and then in how that leader reforms the party.

What happened next

Rahul Gandhi resigned as Congress president in July 2019, and Sonia Gandhi became interim president in August 2019. Mallikarjun Kharge was elected party president in October 2022.

See also: Indian National Congress, political leaders.

Originally published on 15 July 2019. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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