For the first time in nearly five years, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will address a formal press conference at 11 am on January 3 amid speculation that he could announce his resignation to pave way for Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi taking over the reins of the party.
However, the Prime Minister's Office has dismissed speculation that Singh will be stepping down ahead of the Lok Sabha elections scheduled to take place in the next three-four months.
According to a news report published in a leading English daily, Singh will address a press conference on January, 3 wherein he is likely to announce his decision of not seeking a third term.
In a major shift from his earlier stand of keeping the option of seeking a third term open, Singh has reportedly conveyed to UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi that he wants to step aside. While most Congress leaders, including finance minister P Chidambaram, have been pitching for Rahul Gandhi to be declared as the party's PM nominee ahead of the General Elections, a formal decision in this regard is expected at the AICC session on January 17.
At the press conference, which is likely to set the tone for the Congress election agenda in 2014, Singh is likely to clear air about accusations by the political rivals of not having done enough in his two terms and talk about his works in the past 10 years. He might also officially opt himself out of the prime minister's race after the 2014 elections.
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