Gandhi faces challenge for fresh term as Congress president

Congress President Sonia Gandhi wife of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi gestures after filing the nomination papers for her party Presidential elections in New Delhi saturday, October 22, 2000. Gandhi is likely to win the forth coming elcetions for party Presidentship. (AP)

NEW DELHI (AP) - Italian-born Sonia Gandhi, who is seeking a second term as the Congress president, faced a rebellion as the race for the top party post hotted up on Sunday.

Gandhi will face competition from Jitendra Prasada, a party leader from northern Uttar Pradesh state, who filed nomination papers at the party headquarters in New Delhi.

Nearly 200 rival supporters jostled and pushed each other as it became known that Gandhi will be challenged for the top party post by Prasada.

Gandhi had filed nomination papers on Saturday. Voting is scheduled for Nov. 12.

There is no immediate challenge to Gandhi's leadership since Prasada is considered a party lightweight.

Gandhi's victory is inevitable, but she is faced with a rebellion in the party for the second time since joining politics two years ago.

Prasada and his supporters accuse Gandhi of killing inner-party democracy and manipulating the voters' list to keep her opponents out.

Supporters of Congress party President Sonia Gandhi fight with supporters of rival presidential candidate Jitendra Prasada at the Congress party office in New Delhi, Sunday October 29, 2000. Trouble errupted after supporters of Prasada came to the party office as he filed his nomination for the upcoming President's election for the Congress party. (AP Photo)

"I have no alternative but to continue the fight on issues to its logical conclusion, sincerely and with the support of all those who are concerned about the future of the Congress," Prasada said on Saturday.

Gandhi faced the first challenge to her leadership in 1998. But she overcame it by expelling the dissidents, Sharad Pawar, Purno Sangma and Tariq Anwar, who said Italian-born Gandhi should not be the party's candidate for prime ministership.

They suggested an amendment to India's Constitution for restricting the top posts of the president, the vice president and the prime minister to people born in India.

Gandhi made a successful electoral debut by winning a seat to Parliament in 1999. She is the leader of opposition, enjoying the status of a Cabinet minister.

But the Congress party has lost three elections since 1996, weakened by corruption scandals, infighting and a perception that it has lost touch with ordinary Indians.

Gandhi was born in Italy but became a citizen after she married into India's foremost political dynasty. She joined politics seven years after her husband, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, was assassinated during the 1991 election campaign.

She is heir to the Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty, which ruled India for 37 of the 52 years since independence. Her mother-in law Indira Gandhi and grandfather-in-law, Jawaharlal Nehru, had been the Congress party prime ministers.