Sonia Gandhi was chosen to be president of the Congress on Saturday in an interim position after CWC (Congress Working Committee) accepted the resignation of former president Rahul Gandhi. After the devastating electoral defeat, Rahul Gandhi made his mind to resign from the position of the president despite continuous refusal from CWC members and urged him to reconsider his decision. It followed by a wider consultation meeting in the evening among the CWC members where the decision was taken.
“Sonia Gandhi is the new Congress president,” party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad announced after a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party’s highest policy-making body. Finally, the CWC accepted the resignation of Rahul Gandhi after several discussion in the meeting which ended at around 11 pm.
Randeep Surjewala, Congress chief spokesperson said in front of media,
“The CWC requested Rahul Gandhi to take back his resignation and remain as the Congress president. But he politely declined this request while maintaining that he respects the sentiments of people in the party. After this, the CWC unanimously decided that Sonia Gandhi should handle the post of the interim chief until a regular president is picked. She accepted this request”.
Congress member of the Rajya Sabha, Kumari Selja told reporters that the CWC had taken the decision out of deference to the sentiments of Rahul Gandhi, who rose to the position of party president on December 16, 2017, and gave up the post on May 25 after the party’s Lok Sabha electoral rout.
