Sonia Gandhi to Stay as Head of Party
Ending a leadership crisis for India’s main opposition party, Sonia Gandhi announced Monday that she will remain at the helm of the Congress Party.
“She has reconsidered her decision [to resign] and agreed to continue as Congress president,” senior party leader Pranab Mukherjee told reporters.
Gandhi, the widow of assassinated former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, resigned her post last week after three party leaders asked her to step down from the prime ministerial race because her Italian ancestry was turning into an issue. Many Indians resented a foreign-born citizen’s candidacy in the race for the country’s highest elected office.
After her resignation, hundreds of party workers besieged Gandhi’s fortresslike house in New Delhi for days to pressure her to reconsider.
On Monday, Gandhi also agreed to preside over a meeting today of about 1,200 Congress Party representatives from around the country.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
