NEW DELHI: A meeting of the Congress Working Committee began in Saturday to decide on the post of the Congress president, after Rahul Gandhi announced his decision to quit the post, following the poor show by the party in the Lok Sabha elections.
Topmost on the agenda of the meeting, being held at AICC headquarters at 24 Akbar road, is the selection of the new Congress president.
Ahead of the meeting, being attended by senior leaders of the party including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad and senior leader A K Antony, names of several party leaders have been doing the rounds as a possible choice for the next president of the party.
These include senior leaders Mukul Wasnik, Sachin Pilot and Mallikarjun Kharge.
Over the past few weeks, several party leaders have favoured a young leader for the post of the new party president.
These include Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh who said a young leader should head the party.
Mumbai Congress chief Milind Deora suggested the name of party leaders Jyotiraditya Scindia and Sachin Pilot to take up the responsibility.
Given the fact that the public announcement by Rahul of his resignation last month had led to a confusion in the party on the leadership issue, party leaders have said that the issue of the party leadership be resolved at the earliest.
Leaders like Murli Deora, Shashi Tharoor and Abhishek manu Singhvi have said an interim president be appointed at the earliest.
Infact, ahead of the CWC meet, senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said,”On Saturday, a consensus builder party pres INC must be selected. Slightest delay is not an option. In a lighter vein, I gave an analogy of wise men of Vatican locked in a room indefinitely until they got a nomination! Subsequently, it has to be followed by full intraparty elections.”
Rahul had offered to step down from the post of Congress president at the CWC meeting on 25 May, taking moral responsibility for the party’s drubbing in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
However, his offer to resign was unanimously rejected by the CWC with several top leaders rallying behind him to continue to lead the party.
However, last month Rahul made a public announcement of his resignation through an open letter to Conrgess workers.
He also removed the tag of “Congress President” from the bio of his Twitter handle.
Rahul’s announcement was followed by a series of resignations by party leaders and various office-bearers to urge Rahul Gandhi to take back his resignation.
Chief Ministers of all Congress-ruled states had met with Gandhi in Delhi to advice him to reconsider his decision to resign.
However, amid all this, Rahul has stuck to his decision to quit as party chief.
(agencies)
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