Sources said she indicated that she may step back if the CWC wants but the CWC did not endorse it.
The CWC reposed faith in the leadership of Sonia Gandhi and every single member said that she should continue till organisational elections.
Party chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said: "The deliberations of the CWC is not open and many people spoke but the CWC statement is the final conclusion of the meeting."
The discussion also centred on the strengthening of the party and it was decided to hold a brain storming session soon.
All the state Incharges reported to the CWC about the results and CWC members analysed the outcome. "It was sincere discussion," said party General Secretary, Organisation, K.C. Venugopal.
The party accepted the election results and resolved to fight the BJP under Sonia Gandhi's leadership.
The meeting was attended by Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh along with senior party leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Ahmed Patel, P. Chidambaram, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Sushilkumar Shinde and Karan Singh.
The CWC, the party's highest decision-making body, will decide on the dates for filing of nominations and the election.
On the last day of filing the nomination, if no other contestant files against Rahul Gandhi, then he will be declared President unopposed.
The party has time till December 31 to complete the entire organisational election process and submit the report to the Election Commission.
The Congress had earlier set a deadline to complete the organisational elections by October-end.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi may step down ahead of Rahul's likely elevation.
The party on Tuesday released a schedule for the organisational elections which entail election of Congress President by October 15.
The schedule was released after a meeting of Congress Working Committee (CWC), the highest decision-making body of the party.
The Congress had deferred the organisational elections after Sonia Gandhi's five-year term as party chief ended in 2015.
Sonia Gandhi became party chief in 1998 and is the longest-serving party President.
There have been demands from within the party that Rahul Gandhi, who became its Vice-President in 2013, should take over party reigns from his mother Sonia Gandhi.
But the Congress faced a series of electoral reverses after its debacle in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, in which Rahul Gandhi was the party's lead campaigner.
Even as the party has faced mounting electoral challenges, its poor electoral run has led to repeated speculation about the timing of Rahul Gandhi's elevation.
Party sources said Rahul Gandhi's likely elevation will mark a generational change as it prepares for the the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
The likely elevation will be weeks before the assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat where the Congress faces tough challenge from the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The sources said the likely elevation at the end of organisational elections will also fit in with Rahul Gandhi's emphasis on fostering internal democracy in the party. Sonia Gandhi has also been dealing with some health issues of late.
In her remarks at the CWC meeting here, Sonia Gandhi said the ongoing organisational elections must be completed with utmost speed and sincerity.
According to the election schedule, Congress membership drive has be completed by May 15 and election of presidents of booth committees by August 20.
Elections of block Congress chiefs, members of District Congress Committees and members of Pradesh Congress Committees has to be concluded by September 4.
The elections of President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Executive panel of District Congress Committees has to be completed by September 15 and that of these posts in the Pradesh Congresss Committees (PCC) by October 15.
Elections of All India Congress Committee members by the respective PCCs and of the Congress President also has to be concluded by October 15.
According to the schedule, members of the CWC will be elected by AICC members at the party plenary, for which dates will be decided later.
To be presided over by party President Rahul Gandhi, the meeting in Ahmedabad will also be attended by newly appointed General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi among other prominent leaders and office-bearers.
Besides the issues to be incorporated in the manifesto, the selection of candidates and electoral understandings both at the national and state levels will be high on the agenda.
With the Election Commission expected to announce the schedule for the Lok Sabha in the first week of March, the central leadership has instructed all the state units to finalise the respective candidate lists before the CWC meeting where the names will be finally approved.
The state units have also been asked to identify seats which can be given to prospective allies.
The CWC meeting is scheduled ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in Gujarat. Odisha Congress Chief Niranjan Patnaik informed that they are trying their best to finalise Rahul's visit before March 2.
"There is a CWC meeting in Gujarat on February 26, so the AICC president's visit could be delayed by one or two days," Patnaik said.
Earlier this month on February 6, the AICC president held marathon public meetings at Bhawanipatna and Rourkela.
The CWC meeting is scheduled ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in Gujarat. Odisha Congress Chief Niranjan Patnaik informed that they are trying their best to finalise Rahul's visit before March 2.
"There is a CWC meeting in Gujarat on February 26, so the AICC president's visit could be delayed by one or two days," Patnaik said.
Earlier this month on February 6, the AICC president held marathon public meetings at Bhawanipatna and Rourkela.
The survey also says that the tension after the Pulwama terror attack will have a significant bearing on the upcoming general elections.
Released on Wednesday, the survey report by market research and brokerage firm CLSA says that the BJP would find it difficult to replicate its 2014 success, though it could still win over half of the Lok Sabha seats in the country's most populous state.
"Our discussions with various politicians, including those of the BJP, indicate that the BJP would likely win 40-45 seats (out of 80) in UP, on the higher side against 73 back in 2014," the report adds.
A CLSA team travelled across Uttar Pradesh over the past two weeks to reach its conclusions.
During the course of its survey, it also found that Modi still remains popular on the ground across different castes, a factor that could translate into more votes in the caste-sensitive state.
And in what may come as good news for the Opposition, the CLSA report says the entry of Priyanka Gandhi -- which has already energised the Congress cadres -- may hurt the prospects of the Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party (SP-BSP) combine and give the BJP a tough fight.
The SP and the BSP have joined hands to corner the Muslim and Dalit votes.
"Though the alliance is a formidable opposition to the BJP, the entry of Priyanka Gandhi can still take away some of SP-BSP vote share. If not formal, at least, an informal alliance with the Congress will be required for the combine to work," the CLSA report says.
The survey adds that a possible alliance of the SP-BSP with the Congress can turn the tables and limit the gains made by the BJP, preventing a clean sweep of sorts registered by the party in the last general elections.
"We understand that the SP-BSP might tie-up with the Congress, at least informally, which could possibly limit the gains for the BJP," says the report.
There is also a possibility of disgruntled party workers from the SP and the BSP, after the two joined hands, shifting to the Congress, which might help the BJP.
But CLSA says that cow vigilantism in the state has badly hurt farmer sentiments turning a large section against the ruling party.
Vigilantism has prevented farmers from selling their cattle and the excess cattle are, in turn, destroying farm produce.
The confusion in the state and the emerging political scenario does not portent good for the markets.
The CLSA survey says that in the short term, domestic equity flows will likely reflect these political uncertainties over the next three months, driving the market lower.
Recently, CPI(M) candidate Janardan Pati used election campaign vans in Bhubaneswar as well as on the outskirts of the city, throwing speculations that he could be one of the aspirants for the Bhubaneswar LS seat. Not only this, they have even launched an election office for the purpose.
Following the initial discussions held with Congress, the CPI(M) is also vying for the Bonai, Nilagiri, Remuna, Morada, Pallahara, Brahmagiri and Ranpur seats, sources said.
Meanwhile, CPI's Odisha unit secretary Asish Kanungo has made it clear that they will field candidates in Aska LS constituency along with Chatrapur and Boudh. This apart, the CPI will demand Congress to let them fight in Balikuda-Ersama, Brajarajnagar, Chitrakonda, Junagarh and Sundergarh assembly constituencies.
On the other hand, the JMM has proposed Mayurbhanj LS constituency apart from four other assembly constituencies.
On March 3, CPI will hold its State Council meeting whereas on March 6, the Congress Pradesh Poll Committee will discuss the list prepared by the AICC Screening Committee and thereafter, the list will be sent to the Central Poll Committee for approval.
Amid all these concerns, OPCC Chief Niranjan Patnaik, however said that the doors are open for seat-sharing and there will be no problem in allocation of seats.
"I accept full responsibility (for the party's performance)," Gandhi said at a press conference here.
Party leaders said reports of Gandhi offering to resign were "mischievous and incorrect".
Gandhi also responded to the question at a press conference addressed by him. "We will have a meeting of the working committee. That you can leave between me and the working committee," he said when asked if he would resign.
The Congress is poised to win 51 seats in the Lok Sabha polls, only seven seats more than the seats it won in 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Gandhi led the party's campaign in the elections.
A party source told IANS: "Many General Secretaries and state unit chiefs could face the heat as the party will fix responsibility for its poor performance."
The Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Saturday authorised Rahul Gandhi -- whose offer to step down as the Congress President was unanimously rejected by CWC members -- to make a complete overhaul and detailed restructuring of the party at every level.
According to the source, the Congress President was quite forthright at the CWC meeting, not sparing even some senior leaders of the party.
Gandhi is believed to have said that Congress Chief Ministers Ashok Gehlot and Kamal Nath were eager to give ticket to their sons although the party President was not very keen on the idea as he felt that they had a bigger role to play in campaigning.
While Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath's son Nakul Nath successfully contested from his father's stronghold Chhindwara, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's son Vaibhav Gehlot tasted defeat in Jodhpur.
The source said that Gandhi also referred to veteran Congressman and former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram for pushing for a Lok Sabha ticket for his son Karti Chidambaram from Sivaganga in Tamil Nadu.
Karti Chidambaram is one of the eight Congress candidates who emerged victorious in Tamil Nadu.
The Congress President reportedly told the CWC that these senior leaders had put the interests of their sons before the interests of the party.
Gandhi is learnt to have said that Chidambaram was even willing to walk out of the party if his son was denied a Lok Sabha ticket.
However, when Gandhi offered to step down as the Congress President on Saturday, Chidambaram got emotional and broke down in front of the CWC members.
The source said that Chidambaram reportedly told Gandhi that 12 crore people had voted for the party and that "south India believes in you. How can you say you don't want to remain President?".
The sources added that responsibility will be fixed for the party's debacle in the general elections and actions will unfold in the next 10 days.
Gandhi had offered to step down from the party President's post at the CWC meeting, taking responsibility for Congress' embarrassing defeat in the Lok Sabha polls. However, his offer was unanimously rejected by the CWC members though Gandhi had insisted on its acceptance.
Party sources said that Gandhi took back the offer to resign in the wake of the views expressed by the CWC members.
In a statement released, Congress Communications In-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala said that the party has authorised its President Rahul Gandhi to go for radical changes and a complete organisational overhaul.
He said the Congress Working Committee, which is the highest decision making body of the party, is a democratic forum to exchange ideas, formulates policies and takes corrective action.
"In this realm and context, members of the CWC expressed their views in the meeting on May 25, 2019. The CWC looked at the reverses in the Lok Sabha elections as an opportunity for radical changes and a complete organisational overhaul, for which it authorized the Congress President Rahul Gandhi," he said.
"The Congress party expects everyone, including the media to respect the sanctity of a closed door meeting of the CWC. Various conjectures, speculations, insinuations, assumptions, gossip and rumour mongering in a section of the media is uncalled for and unwarranted," Surjewala said.
He said the gist of deliberations was made public in the CWC resolution of May 25.
"The CWC held a collective deliberation on the performance of the party, the challenges before it as also the way ahead, instead of casting aspersions on the role or conduct of any specific individual. We would request everyone, including the media, to not fall into the trap of conjectures or speculations and await the calibrated efforts by the Congress party towards future course of action," he said.
The CWC had rejected the offer of resignation made by Rahul Gandhi following the party's debacle in the Lok Sabha elecitons.
There have been reports in the media of Rahul Gandhi conveying at the meeting that Congress Chief Ministers Ashok Gehlot and Kamal Nath wanted tickets for their sons but he was not very keen on it.
"It has been decided to hold the next CWC meeting on 10th of August at 11 a.m. at AICC (All India Congress Committee)," Congress General Secretary K.C. Venugopal tweeted.
The Congress has faced a severe leadership crisis for the last two months.
Although Rahul Gandhi has submitted his resignation as party President, it has not been accepted.
"Priyanka Gandhi should be made the party chief as she has the capability to keep the party together," said Jagdish Sharma, the worker who led the protestors.
However, Rahul Gandhi made it clear that no Gandhi family member will be made the party chief.
The meeting to elect the new chief began at 11 a.m. It is being attended by Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, former prime minister Manmohan Singh and senior party leaders Anand Sharma, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Sachin Pilot, Ahmed Patel, P. Chidambaram and others.
The CWC has been divided into five region-wise groups to hold talks with the state in-charges, state chiefs, AICC department chairman, party MPs and build a consensus on the name of the new party chief.
The name will be finalised on Sunday, after all the five groups have submitted their recommendations, said a senior party leader.
Emerging from the meeting, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi told reporters she and Rahul Gandhi are not a part of the five regionwise groups formed in the CWC to elect the new party chief.
Informed by the media that her name was there in the five region-wise groups formed to hold consultations, she said: "Rahul and I cannot participate in the election of the new party chief. Putting our names is not good."
Rahul Gandhi told reporters: "I am going to Wayanad tomorrow for two days as the condition is very disturbing there."
The CWC, the party's top decision making body, met to elect a new party chief after Rahul Gandhi quit the post following the party's miserable showing in the Lok Sabha elections.
The CWC has been divided into five region-wise groups to hold further talks with the state in-charges, state party chiefs, AICC department chairman, party MPs and CLPs to build a consensus on the name of the new party chief.
Besides Rahul and Sonia, the meeting of the CWC was attended by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, senior party leaders like Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Anand Sharma, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Sachin Pilot, Ahmed Patel, P. Chidambaram and several others.
The CWC will meet again at 8.30 p.m. to get final recommendations from the five groups. The new Congress chief's name will be finalised on Sunday, said a senior party leader.
Addressing mediapersons after the meeting, Congress media in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala said: "The CWC unanimously appealed to Rahul Gandhi to lead the party as he was the best person for the top post at the time when the BJP-led government was assaulting democracy and undermining people's rights."
Surjewala said, after Rahul Gandhi refused to reconsider his decision, the CWC began consultations to find his successor under five regional sub-groups led by senior party leaders.
He said that the CWC will meet again on Saturday night after the end of the initial consultation process. He also said the CWC has not accepted Rahul Gandhi's resignation yet.
"It is still pending approval from the CWC. But he is adamant on his decision, so a group has been formed for consultation with the party leaders to decide on the new chief," Surjewala said.
After party's poor show during the recent general elections, while political circles in the State are abuzz with speculations on the selection of a new Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) chief, many party leaders are hopeful that Gandhi will hand over the baton to a suitable candidate so that the party will join the upcoming by-poll battle for the Bijepur Assembly seat.
Party leaders also believe that as Gandhi is quite aware about the party's condition in Odisha, she will take an appropriate decision while taking care of the expectations of the State leaders.
“Unanimously the CWC elected Sonia Gandhi as the interim chief of Congress and she will be in charge of the party until a new president is appointed in the plenary session. The party leaders are happy with the decision,” said Narasingha Mishra, Congress legislature party leader.
Senior congress MLA Sura routray and Kanhu Charan Lenka too welcomed Sonia Gandhi's return to party high command and expressed optimism that the development will help in the growth of the party.
Expressing similar views, former OPCC president Jayadev Jena said, “Congress will get a new direction under her leadership. We hope that she will take a decision for strengthening of the party in the State and we will together work as per her directives."
However, political pundits opine that the interim Congress president might give priority on the party reorganisation in States which are going for polls in near future. A decision on Odisha PCC might be taken later.
“A leader who can take the party forward in Odisha must be elected as the new OPCC chief. There are little chances that a decision regarding this will be taken for one state only. Instead, the party high command may reorganise units of all the Pradesh Committees,” political expert Prabhu Kalyan Mohapatra said.
While two dozen Congress leaders including some ex-ministers have written to party president Sonia Gandhi for the overhaul of the organizational structure and changes to the leadership, some leaders close to Rahul have also written to the CWC pressing for the Gandhi scion's return as chief.
The letter by former ministers and some MPs was believed to have been written a few weeks ago and sets the stage for a stormy CWC meeting where issues flagged by dissenters are expected to be discussed and debated.
These leaders have called for bringing changes in the organization by effecting reforms through decentralisation of power and empowerment of state units besides setting up of the Central Parliamentary Board, a body that existed in the party in the 1970s but was later wound up.
The letter in question has also stressed collective decision-making with the Gandhi family as its integral part.
They have also called for the appointment of a full-time leadership which is active and which can be easily contacted by workers and leaders. The pro-reform leaders are further learnt to have called for free and fair organizational polls from the block up to the working committee level.
A counter to the pro-reform lobby arguing for collective leadership in the Congress has also begun with sitting MP Manickam Tagore calling for Rahul Gandhi's return as party president.
Gandhis are the symbol of sacrifice. The decision by Congress CWC was a majority decision reflecting the will of 1100 AICC, 8800 PCC members, five crore workers and 12 crore supporters who want Rahul Gandhi as their leader, Tagore said, referring to the 2019 decision of the CWC to name Sonia Gandhi as party president after Rahul declined to accept a unanimous CWC appeal to stay in the post.
Apart from Tagore, Challa Vamshi Chand Reddy, ex Telangana lawmaker and AICC secretary in charge of Maharashtra has also asked for the promotion of Rahul Gandhi as Congress President without any further delay.
In a letter to the CWC on Sunday, Challa Reddy said any delay in Rahul's reinstatement would be at the cost of the Congress.
In view of existing conditions any further delay in promoting Rahul Gandhi as AICC president can cause incalculable harm to the progress of Congress Party and can be dispiriting to the Congress family, Reddy said in the letter.
He said, On behalf of millions of Congress workers and sympathizers I would like to take this opportunity to refer to an important pressing matter to the committee. We have been eagerly waiting for this CWC meeting to happen and for a positive decision to be taken to promote Rahul Gandhi as AICC president".
"This major decision, taken at the earliest possible, can create a launching pad for further creative action and get us all prepared for any eventuality. Rahul Gandhi is the only leader who can animate both seniors and youngsters, unite their energies, direct their vigour and inventiveness to bring the past glory to Congress, he said.
While the younger leaders in the Congress are expected to chalk out a strategy to push for Rahul's return to the helm, the leaders who earlier petitioned to Sonia Gandhi have called for contacting and winning back all those Congressmen who have quit the party and joined the BJP and expressed concerns over rank and file getting demoralised due to the drift in the party.
They are also learnt to have pointed out that the CWC is not "guiding" the party effectively in mobilizing public opinion against the BJP.
Among leaders learnt to have signed the letter are Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, deputy leader of Congress in Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma, former chief ministers Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Prithviraj Chavan and Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, besides ex ministers Mukul Wasnik, Kapil Sibal, M Veerappa Moily, Shashi Tharoor, MP Manish Tewari, and former MPs Milind Deora, Jitin Prasada and Sandeep Dixit.
The signatories are also said to include former party unit chiefs including Raj Babbar, Arvinder Singh Lovely, Kaul Singh Thakur besides leaders Akhilesh Prasad Singh and Kuldeep Sharma.
These leaders argued that in the absence of a direct dialogue with the Congress chief over the strengthening of the party, the revival of the party has become imperative in the interest of democracy in the country.
While most of the leaders who have written the letter did not answer calls on Sunday, some who answered remained tight-lipped on the issue has set the stage for a CWC debate on the need for a Gandhi vis- -vis a non-Gandhi Congress President.
(PTI)
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