Rahul Gandhi has been elected Congress president unopposed, announces  Mullappally Ramachandran, Congress leader. "Eighty-nine nomination proposals were received, all were valid. Since there was only one candidate. I hereby declare Rahul Gandhi elected as the president of Indian National Congress," he said.

The 47-year-old Gandhi will be the sixth Nehru-Gandhi scion to helm the party. His mother and incumbent party president Sonia Gandhi had signed the first nomination paper for the election of her son.

In all, over 90 sets of nominations were said to have been filed supporting Gandhi before the deadline expired at 3 pm on December 4. Had there been any contest, today (December 11) would have been the last date for withdrawal. Since there was no other nomination, Rahul has been declared elected today.

The BJP says this was an election that he was bound to win since dynastic succession is the norm.