Rahul Gandhi is unlikely to be the face of the Congress party in the 2019 general elections as the party’s old guard, led by his mother and Congress President Sonia Gandhi, retake the reins of the party. A clutch of upcoming state elections will most likely now be fought under the leadership of older satraps rather than Rahul’s youth brigade, multiple sources familiar with the matter have told News18.

There have been hints pointing to the massive strategic shift, with a steady increase in the role of the party elders. It was Sonia Gandhi, and not Rahul, who was at the centre of recent deliberations to forge a broader opposition unity to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP.

She also helped pick candidates and forge alliances for the presidential elections. The most recent change was Thursday’s announcement of the Congress’ Communication Committee, which will now be dominated by senior leaders such as P Chidambaram, Anand Sharma and Ghulam Nabi Azad.

“What’s clear is that it will have to be the entire opposition together to take on Modi,” said one Congress functionary familiar with deliberations on this topic in the party’s top echelons.

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