Rahul to Meet Congress CMs Today as Party Resignations Continue Across Country

The agenda of the meeting is not known yet but the leaders are likely to hold a brainstorming session over the grand old party's drubbing in Lok Sabha elections.

New Delhi: While Rahul Gandhi has refused to take back his decision of stepping down as the Congress chief and reports are rife of Sushilkumar Shinde being picked as his successor, the party President would be meeting the chief ministers of the Congress-ruled states on Monday. This would be his first such meeting ever since he has aired his decision to step down. (Also read: Sushilkumar Shinde Likely to Replace Rahul)

The meeting comes in the wake of continuing suspense over Rahul’s future role and a spate of resignations by Congress leaders at various levels since.

Today, by afternoon, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy will be present in the national capital for the meeting with Rahul.

The agenda of the meeting is not known yet but the leaders are likely to hold a brainstorming session over the grand old party’s drubbing in Lok Sabha elections, more so in the states of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan where it won three Assembly elections in December last year.

The Lok Sabha election results came out on May 23 and two days later, at the May 25 Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, where Rahul had offered to resign, he had lamented that Nath and Gehlot had put their sons over the party. East UP In charge and General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had also alleged that the leaders had not backed Rahul in his campaign against the BJP.

Meanwhile, reports have suggested that veteran Congress leader and former Union Minister Sushilkumar Shinde may replace Rahul as the next president of the grand old party. The Gandhi family has reportedly okayed Shinde’s appointment as the next Congress chief.

Other leaders whose names were doing the rounds for the post are those of Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ashok Gehlot, Mallikarjun Kharge, A K Antony, Janardhan Dwivedi and Mukul Wasnik, said reports on Sunday.