Rahul to have two key advisers

How he will use old guard is big question

After intense speculation over his elevation that has been going on since 2013, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi appears all set to take over as Congress president in the first week of December.

However, in the unlikely event that there is more than one candidate in the fray, the election for the top party post will take place on December 16, and counting of votes and declaration of results will be on December 19.

December 11 has been set as the last date for the withdrawal of nominations.

After Mr Gandhi is virtually anointed to the top post, what political watchers are keenly waiting to see is what kind of generational shift takes place in the organisation. Will the young turks hold sway, with the old guard completely sidelined, or will it be a judicious mix of the two?

Young turks like Lok Sabha MPs Jyotiraditya Scindia and Deependra Hooda are expected to be named to key positions in the party. Insiders say there will be two key advisers who will report directly to Mr Gandhi.

Young MP Sushmita Dev has already been named chief of the Mahila Congress while Gaurav Gogoi has been appointed to several key committees of the party.

The bigger question is how Mr Gandhi would be using the old guard. Though he has always said there is a place for both young and old in the party, interestingly, in the last few Assembly elections, Mr Gandhi has had to rely more on the seasoned political managers of Mrs Sonia Gandhi's era to smoothen the edges.

In the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, it was Ahmed Patel and Ghulam Nabi Azad who interceded in seat distribution. In Gujarat, it is Ashok Gehlot and Kapil Sibal who are negotiating with the Patidars.

In the past couple of months, Mr Gandhi has taken the battle directly to the Narendra Modi-Amit Shah camp.