CWC likely to meet on July 10 to pick chief

New Delhi: The next meeting of the Congress Working Committee, which will pick the next party president after Rahul Gandhi’s resignation, is most likely to be held on July 10.

As Mr Gandhi officially released his resignation letter on Wednesday, there was deep confusion in the party whether the seniormost general secretary, Motilal Vora, would now be the interim head, or whether Mr Gandhi would remain the party president till the CWC meeting.

Sources, however, clarified Thursday that Mr Gandhi remained president till the CWC accepted his resignation, and that the next meeting of the party’s highest decision-making body was likely to be held on July 10.

AICC general secretary in charge of UP East Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said on Thursday that she respected her brother Rahul’s decision to step down as party president. Retweeting Mr Gandhi’s letter, she lauded his “courage” to do so. “Few have the courage that you do @rahulgandhi. Deepest respect for your decision,” she added.

In the four-page open letter, Mr Gandhi had urged the CWC to entrust a group of people with the task of finding a new president as it would not be proper for him to do so.

The 49-year-old leader also stressed on the need for the Congress to “radically transform itself”. He had also sought accountability from other senior leaders.

Possibly taking cue from this, former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat announced his resignation as AICC general secretary in charge of Assam on Thursday, taking moral responsibility for the party’s poor show in the northeastern state in the recently-concluded Lok Sabha polls.

Mr Rawat said as the in-charge of party affairs in Assam, he was responsible for the below-par performance of the Congress in the Lok Sabha polls and had thus decided to step down. The resignation comes in the wake of Rahul Gandhi resigning as Congress president on Wednesday.