The Congress Working Committee, the party’s highest decision-making body, will meet on Saturday to review the outcome of the Lok Sabha elections where it won only 52 seats, marginally improving on its worst performance in the 2014 elections when it won 44 seats.

The Congress has firmly rejected speculation that its president Rahul Gandhi has offered to resign. The party said these reports “are mischievous and incorrect”.

A Congress leader said that even if Gandhi makes an offer to quit as some expect it is likely to be rejected because he had taken all views on board when the party finalized its strategy and decided candidates.

The Congress which did not get the post of the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha in 2014 may not get it this time also. A party should get 55 out of the 543 Lok Sabha seats to get the post of the Leader of Opposition.

Rahul Gandhi has already taken responsibility for the party’s performance in the Lok Sabah elections but hasn’t elaborated on the next step yet.

Three senior Congress including Uttar Pradesh unit chief Raj Babbar, HK Patil, who was tasked to oversee the Karnataka Congress campaign and Odisha Congress chief Niranjan Patnaik have resigned in the aftermath of the election debacle.

Asked at a press conference after the election results on Thursday whether he would step down, Gandhi said that “the decision will be between me and the working committee.”

At the CWC meeting, the party is expected to take a hard look at its performance, analyze the reasons for its humiliating defeat and find a way to move forward.

Rahul Gandhi had indicated Thursday that he would do not want the electoral setback to pull down the party’s morale.

Share on Facebook

Tweet

Follow us