Rahul Gandhi likely to be anointed as Congress' PM candidate in January

New Delhi: There is an almost certain speculation in Congress circles that the party might project Rahul Gandhi as its Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2014 elections at a one-day AICC meeting that will be held here on January 17 to boost the morale of its workers after the drubbing in four state elections recently.

The overwhelming mood in the party is in favour of Gandhi being projected as the PM candidate. But it will also need to take its current and prospective allies into confidence if it is keen to lead a UPA-3 if it wins the general election.

Congress spokesperson Priya Dutt told reporters on Monday, “Right now the Congress wishes that Rahul is projected as PM candidate... If this announcement is made, we will all be very happy. Rig-ht now there is a consensus in the party on his leadership. Today we feel people are looking at a face.”

To another question on whether Gandhi was the panacea for all ills facing the party, she said, “We should not think of anything as a remedy.”

When told the party had earlier spoken of a possible third term for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Dutt said, “I do not agree... We never mentioned anything like this.”

Rahul Gandhi was named Congress vice-president in January this year. Another party spokesperson Bhakt Charan Das dismissed suggestions that Mr Gandhi should be blamed for the drubbing received by the party in the just-concluded Assembly polls in four states.

“I don’t think you can fix blame on one person,” he said when asked as to how could Gandhi be named the PM candidate of the party after the debacle in the Assembly polls in wh-ich he played a key role in campaigning and strategy.

Party general secretary Janardan Dwivedi dismissed as 'illogical' questions that the AICC meet has been called to anoint Gandhi as the PM candidate.