There has been speculation whether Sonia will continue to hold the posts of UPA chairperson as well as Congress Parliamentary Party chief after Rahul's elevation.
A day before Rahul Gandhi takes over the Congress, the outgoing party president and his mother, Sonia Gandhi, said on Friday that her role is to "retire" now, indicating she is taking a backseat in the party's affairs.
The party, in which a number of senior leaders are more comfortable with Sonia, rushed to add that she had retired as Congress chief and not from politics, reflecting the unease with the idea of her taking a complete break.
There has been speculation whether Sonia will continue to hold the posts of UPA chairperson as well as Congress Parliamentary Party chief after Rahul's elevation.
Gandhi told mediapersons in the Parliament complex: "My role is to retire". She was asked what role she will assume after Rahul's elevation.
Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala soon tweeted, "Would sincerely request friends in the media to not rely upon innuendos." He said Sonia has retired as Congress president and not from politics. "Her blessings, wisdom and innate commitment to Congress ideology shall always be our guiding light," he said.
Former Union Minister Renuka Chowdhury said it was not easy for party members to accept that Sonia was going to quit politics. She said the leader would always be there to steer the party in the right direction.
"(She) may say. It is part of her nature, her personality... she has never aspired for a post or clung to power", Chowdhury said but added "for those of us who are around, it is not something that we can accept easily."
When Rahul replaces Sonia on Saturday, this will bring to an end her interrupted leadership in the party for 19 years, starting from 1998 during which the Congress-led UPA won two successive Lok Sabha polls in 2004 and 2009 and formed UPAI and UPAII governments.
The party also recorded its worst-ever electoral performance in 2014, winning a mere 44 Lok Sabha seats.
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