Congress Working Committee to meet on Sunday after defeat in assembly elections in five states

New Delhi, March 12, 2022

After the humiliating defeat in the assembly elections in five states, the meeting of the Congress Working Committee on Sunday could be a stormy one as resignations may pour in from the leaders who have been involved in election management.

In the past, however, Sonia Gandhi had offered to quit but it was rejected by the CWC while the rebel group within the party wants a change in the leadership and reforms within the set-up. The rebel group is not ready to tackle this move of the party but after the poll debacle in 2019, Sonia Gandhi's son Rahul Gandhi, who was party president then, had quit and Sonia had to take over in August 2019.

Speculations apart, the CWC may witness a stormy session. The CWC members loyal to the Gandhis may offer to quit. If such things happen, the Congress has to choose a new leader and sources say that party may have to continue with the interim President and a majority of the CWC members may suggest Priyanka Gandhi's name.

The meeting of the CWC, which is the highest decision-making body of the Congress, is slated for 4 pm to discuss the poll debacle. The meeting is taking place in the background of pressure by the G23 leaders, who had met at Ghulam Nabi Azad's residence yesterday, on the party to advance its internal polls.

At their meeting yesterday, the G23 leaders discussed the issue and felt there should be no further delay in electing the new president of the party and that an AICC session should be called in to discuss the poll debacle, sources said.

They also said that it is necessary to fix accountability for the poll debacle and urgent changes are required in the composition of the CWC.

The sources said that the organisational polls were also discussed in the meeting.

The leaders who met at Azad's residence included Kapil Sibal, Manish Tewari, Anand Sharma and Akhilesh Prasad Singh. Some others attended the meeting in virtual mode.

There is simmering tension within the Congress after the poll debacle, and the G-23 leaders are reportedly miffed with the style of functioning of the party leadership.

The Congress lost Punjab, a state under its control, to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and could not put up a fight in three other states where it was hoping to form the government -- Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur.

IANS