NEW DELHI: A month after the Lok Sabha election results, the Congress Working Committee is likely to meet next week to discuss future roadmap for the party in the backdrop of Rahul Gandhi’s insistence to step down as the party chief.
After refusing to meet senior leaders initially, Rahul, who had offered to resign as Congress chief at the CWC meeting on May 25, has met party leaders in the last few days.
According to party sources, he continues to stick to his stand of quitting even though he is addressing party affairs that need urgent attention.
He is scheduled to meet party leaders from three election-bound states of Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand on June 27-28.
“During the meeting, the CWC members would request him to continue as party chief. If he continues to remain adamant, then discussion could happen on possible names and options like working president or a presidium to lead the party,” said a senior Congress leader.
While the CWC had rejected his resignation and asked him to restructure the party at all levels, Gandhi had refrained from meeting people and asked his sister and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to do the talking on his behalf.
Sources said the Congress chief met Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and party leaders from the state on Monday and would be meeting leaders from Maharashtra on Wednesday.
Congress general secretary in-charge of Maharashtra Mallikarjun Kharge and AICC secretaries for the state, along with the PCC chief, would be meeting Gandhi to discuss the party's preparedness for the Assembly election in the state due later this year.
Gandhi will meet Congress general secretary in-charge of Haryana Ghulam Nabi Azad and party leaders from the state on Thursday and those from the national capital region of Delhi on Friday to ascertain their poll preparedness and chalk out the party's strategy going forward.
The fresh round of meetings will give a ray of hope to the party, which is looking up to its leadership for direction after its humiliating defeat in the Lok Sabha polls.
The grand old party has already dissolved it's Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka units and similar decisions are likely to come for other states too.
While a majority of Congress leaders is trying to convince Gandhi to change his decision, he is reportedly adamant on his plan and is learnt to have given some time to the party leaders to work out an alternative.
The sources said Gandhi's decision to meet state leaders would help infuse confidence in the party's rank and file.
While Assembly elections are due in Haryana and Maharashtra later this year, the Delhi polls are slated to be held early next year.
(With PTI Inputs)