My role now is to retire: Sonia Gandhi a day before son Rahul's elevation

New Delhi: A day before son Rahul Gandhi takes over as the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, who held the party baton for 19 years, hinted that she's close to retiring from politics.

"My role now is to retire," Sonia Gandhi told NDTV.

As the grand old party, Congress, gears up to formally make Rahul as party President on Saturday, there has been talk of whether or not his mother would formally be made a political chairman emeritus.

Sonia told the news channel on Friday that Rahul has been helping her for years now with important decisions for the party.

Rahul has led the Congress campaign in Gujarat against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Exit polls have predicted a clean sweep for the Bharitya Janata Party’s (BJP) in Modi’s home state Gujarat as well as that in Himachal Pradesh. The results of both the polls will be announced on Monday.

With the exit polls predication showing BJP’s win, Rahul is likely to begin his party’s presidency with two new electoral defeats.

Rahul’s elevation in the party as the president will make him the sixth member of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty to lead the Congress.

Modi, in an election speech in Gujarat, had said that Rahul's role as top boss will mark an "Aurangzeb Raj" – a jibe that points to leadership that results in ruin.

On Monday, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said, “The entire country has lots of expectations from Rahul Gandhi. Much before he was elected, he has shown his mettle. He knows his responsibility."