Hope when they do name PM, it will be Rahul Gandhi: Congress’ youngest MP

New Delhi – Congress’ youngest MP is disappointed that Rahul Gandhi has not been named the party’s prime ministerial candidate, but hopes that there will be an announcement someday, “if not today, then tomorrow.”

“I wanted Rahul Gandhi to be announced the PM candidate… I hope that when they do announce a prime ministerial candidate, it will be Rahul Gandhi,” said Ramya, 31, the youngest Lok Sabha member.

She said, however, that she understood why Mr Gandhi’s mother and party president Sonia Gandhi decided against naming Rahul. “She is adhering to practice,” said the actor-turned-politician.

Sonia Gandhi, she added, was an extremely “warm and approachable person.”

Top Congress leaders said yesterday that Mr Gandhi should be PM candidate for the election due by May, but Sonia Gandhi rejected this, saying it was not the party’s tradition to name a candidate before voting is held.

The clamour to name him remained loud on Friday at the conclave of the All India Congress Committee, where thousands of party workers shouted slogans of “Rahul Gandhi zindabad” intermittently.

Ramya, who is attending her first such session, admitted the only “drama” that she had experienced this morning was a fight for chairs.

Asked whether she felt a part of the proceedings, and would like to be included in a larger role, she said, “It wouldn’t be bad to be included, but I am very very new. There are others like Sachin (Pilot) and Jyotiraditya (Scindia) who are part of it.”