Jaipur, Jan 19: In a significant move, Congress party on Saturday appointed Rahul Gandhi as its vice president.
The Congress Working Committee (CWC), meeting here at party’s ‘Chintan Shivir’, passed a resolution unanimously elevating Rahul Gandhi – till now the party general secretary – as the official number two in the party.
“The entire CWC endorsed Rahul's appointment,” party chief spokesperson Janardhan Dwivedi told reporters after the CWC meet.
“Rahul will lead the party in 2014 General Elections,” Dwivedi said, adding the exact role of the Gandhi family scion will be decided later.
The spokesperson informed that party chief Sonia Gandhi gave the nod and Rahul accepted the responsibility.
The resolution was moved by senior party leader and Defence Minister AK Antony.
The development came amid growing clamor for declaring Rahul as the prime ministerial candidate of the party.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan had earlier in the day said at the meet that the party needed to have a young leader to connect with the youth. Chavan added that youth constituency is very important at a time when the majority of the population is below 45.
"For connecting with the youth, you have to speak a different language which is not possible for the people of previous generation", he said.
AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh had been saying that the sentiment among partymen was for giving "larger and predominant" role to Rahul.
Earlier in the day, over 130 Youth Congress and NSUI leaders at the Congress' strategy session demanded a bigger role for the party's de facto number two Rahul Gandhi.

Lastupdate on : Sat, 19 Jan 2013 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 19 Jan 2013 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sun, 20 Jan 2013 00:00:00 IST