Sonia Gandhi to attend first meeting after surgery today

New Delhi, Sep 15 (ANI): Congress President Sonia Gandhi will attend the Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting of the AICC here on Thursday to discuss the upcoming polls in Uttar Pradesh. This will be her first public appearance after returning from the United States, where she underwent a surgery last month for an undisclosed ailment.

Senior Congress leader Oscar Fernandes confirmed the news about the meeting to the media.

"We are holding a meeting at 10 Janpath at 4 p.m. on the second phase of Uttar Pradesh elections. I think Madam (Sonia Gandhi) will be chairing the meeting," said Fernandes.

"The very fact that Madam (Sonia Gandhi) is holding the meeting in 10 Janpath and she will be chairing the meeting, is a very good message for all of us that she is on her path of recovery and she will be devoting her time to the party," he added, when asked that the Congress President was returning back to the party in just within two weeks of her surgery.

Responding to a question on whether the Congress Party was excessively dependent on Sonia Gandhi, Fernandes said: " Can you replace a leadership? Soniaji has given that kind of leadership to the party. We are happy about it and she is determined to take the party to greater heights."

Sonia Gandhi, who had returned from the United States on September 8, was not meeting anyone and had distanced herself from the media.

64-year-old Sonia Gandhi had constituted a four-member team comprising her son and party General Secretary Rahul Gandhi, Defence Minister AK Antony, her political advisor Ahmed Patel and party General Secretary Janardhan Dwivedi to look after party affairs in her absence. (ANI)