Rahul Gandhi
Rahul Gandhi on Monday insisted on quitting as Congress president. The party faced a colossal electoral defeat in the Lok Sabha election 2019.
Here is what we know so far:
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Several state Congress chiefs, including Punjab's Sunil Jakhar, Jharkhand's Ajoy Kumar and Assam's Ripun Bora, also offered to resign.
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Congress sources said Gandhi is insisting on resigning his post and is understood to have conveyed to several leaders that it is time for the grand old party to look for a new chief.
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Speculation was rife about impending changes in the party that is facing a crisis after its poor performance at the hustings.
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The Congress won only 52 out of 542 parliamentary seats in the Lok Sabha polls, just six more than its 2014 tally. The party could not open its account in 18 states and union territories.
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Taking responsibility for the defeat, Gandhi on Saturday offered to resign as party president at a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the highest decision-making body of the party, but it was "unanimously rejected".
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At the CWC meeting, Gandhi accused three senior leaders -- Ashok Gehlot, Kamal Nath and P Chidambaram -- of placing their sons above the party.
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His sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the entire top brass of the party left Rahul Gandhi alone to fight it out against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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As the party grapples with a severe existential crisis, its governments in both Karnataka and Rajasthan face a tough time with reports suggesting the BJP may try to wrest power in both states.
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Sources said a number of Congress legislators in Karnataka are understood to be unhappy over the party's electoral loss.
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In Rajasthan, there have been reports of internal turmoil with several ministers demanding fixing of accountability and seeking action against those responsible for the poll debacle in the state.
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(With PTI inputs)
