Friday, May 27 2005 16:43 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Sonia Gandhi, who steered the Congress-led UPA (United Progressive Alliance) to victory in the Lok Sabha elections last year and later renounced the post of Prime Minister, was today (May 27, 2005) unanimously re-elected as Congress President.

Gandhi's was the lone candidature for the top party post as deadline for filing nominations ended at 1500 hours today, AICC's (All India Congress Committee) Central Election Authority Chairman Oscar Fernandes said.

A formal announcement of the same would be made tomorrow (May 28, 2005) after scrutiny of the nominations, he said.

The re-election of Gandhi was a foregone conclusion as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and several senior leaders, party Chief Ministers and Union Ministers filed a total of 100 nominations proposing her name for the top party post.

There was no challenger to Gandhi unlike the previous election when senior leader late Jitendra Prasada had thrown his hat in the ring.

The entire party rallied round Gandhi in the election for the top party post. Gandhi is now also the UPA Chairperson after she renounced Prime Ministership and nominated Manmohan Singh for the post after the Lok Sabha polls a year back.

She is also the head of the National Advisory Council on the National Common Minimum Programme (NCMP).

This has been the first organisational election in Congress after Gandhi led Congress-led UPA came to power at the Centre. Gandhi had taken over as party President in 1998 replacing Sitaram Kesri.

Congress' gen-next leadership led by Rahul Gandhi, MP from Amethi and son of the Congress President, had also filed a nomination proposing her name.