Congress leaders to meet today; discuss strategy for upcoming Parl session

New Delhi: A core group of Congress leaders will meet on Wednesday to discuss the strategy for the upcoming Parliament session, sources said.

Top Congress leaders including, Ghulam Nabi Azad, P Chidambaram, Ashok Gehlot, Mallikarjun Kharge, Ahmed Patel, Jairam Ramesh, Randeep Surjewala and K C Venugopal, who are part of the core group headed by senior party leader AK Antony, will be present in the meeting which is slated to take place later today in the Congress war room at 15, Gurdwara Rakabganj Road, here.

However, United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi will not attend the meeting as she will embark on her maiden visit to her parliamentary constituency, Rae Bareli after winning from the seat in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections.

According to sources, the party will also discuss the appointment of Leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha and Congress president Rahul Gandhi's unwillingness to continue as party president.

Besides Rahul, Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor, Anandpur Sahib MP Manish Tewari, Berhampore MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury Adhiranjan Choudhary and Kaliabor MP Gaurav Gogoi among others are some probable names who would lead the party in Lok Sabha. The appointment will be finalised by Sonia.

Mallikarjun Kharge, who was elected as Leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha during 2014-19, is not the race after losing the Lok Sabha election from Gulbarga constituency.

Besides this, the party leaders would decide on the names for the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) secretary, Chief Whip and two others whip and the Deputy Leader in Lok Sabha.

On June 1, Sonia was elected as the leader of Congress Parliamentary Party for the fourth consecutive term after the General elections.

The first meeting of 17th Lok Sabha members will take place on June 17. Newly elected members will take oath on June 17 and 18. The Speaker's election will be held on June 19.

Budget will be presented on July 5.