Sonia Gandhi requested to lead from front in 4-hour poll debacle diagnosis meet

The Congress on Sunday admitted that the results of the assembly elections in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur are a cause of concern but there's no call for a change in the party's leadership as every member of the party – the Congress leaders addressing the press meet stressed on the unanimous nature – expressed their trust on the leadership of Sonia Gandhi. The Congress Working Committee requests the Congress President to lead from the front, address organisational weaknesses, effect necessary and comprehensive organisational changes in order to take on the political challenges, the statement issued after the meeting read.

The question of leadership was crucial apart from the deliberation on the party's performance in the assembly election as several reports were claiming a change in the leadership, or a strong proposal in favour of it coming from the revel grouping.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said there were a lot of deliberations in a free and frank manner. "Every sentence spoken by every member of the Congress Working Committee is not open to media. One thing every single member unanimously agreed is that they have absolute faith in the leadership of Sonia Gandhi. She should continue as the president of the party until the election is conducted. And there shall be no wisp of anything otherwise," Surjewala said.

In the 4-hour long meeting, the poll performance was scrutinised and the party accepted its shortcomings of strategy for its performance in Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Uttarakhand and Manipur. As far as Punjab's result is concerned, the Congress said it was due to the anti-incumbency which could not be addressed by the shift in power. Chintan Shivir will be held immediately after the Parliament session, Congress leader KC Venugopal said, briefing about the deliberations.

On the question of Rahul Gandhi taking the mantle of the party, as many senior Congress leaders, including Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, pitched, Surjewala said, "Yes, every leader wants Rahul Gandhi to come forward and lead. But an election will decide that."

News agency ANI claimed Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi in her speech said that if the party feels Rahul, Priyanka and she herself should resign, then they are ready to do so, but CWC unanimously rejected this.

Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma and Mukul Wasnik were the only three from the Group of 23 leaders who participated in the meeting of the CWC, which has a large number of Gandhi family loyalists. Former prime minister Manmohan Singh did not attend the meeting. A K Antony was also not present as he has contracted Covid.

"The prime minister has to start his speech after targeting Rahul Gandhi, you can understand what this means. All of us want that Rahul ji should take on the mantle of party leadership," Gehlot said ahead of the meeting. Karnataka Congress president D K Shivakumar also supported Gandhi as the party chief and tweeted, “As I have said it earlier as well, Sh. Rahul Gandhi should take up the Congress presidency in a full time role immediately. This is the wish of millions of Congress workers like me.”