Rahul Gandhi to contiue as Congress president till CWC accepts resignation

New Delhi: Congress President Rahul Gandhi would continue to head till the time Congress Working Committee (CWC) accepts his resignation, ANI reported.

''We will once again request Rahul Gandhi to continue as the president of the party, whenever Congress Working Committee (CWC) holds a meeting,'' senior Congress leader Motilal Vora said.

Earlier, there were reports that long-time associate, Motilal Vora, has been appointed as the interim party chief, however, there has been no official confirmation from the party.

Talking to ANI on the reports of his appointment as the interim chief, Vora said he had ''no information about this.''

90-year-old Vora is believed to be close to the Gandhi family. He served as the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh from 1985 to 1988 before he was made a minister in the union cabinet. He was also the Governor of Uttar Pradesh from 1993 to 1996.

In the search of party chief, Sushil Kumar Shinde and Mallikarjun Kharge are the top contenders, NDTV reported.

If any of the proposed candidate take charge as the party chief, It will be the third time that someone outside the Nehru-Gandhi family will lead after PV Narasimha Rao and Sitaram Kesri.

Earlier on Wednesday, Rahul Gandhi tweeted his resignation and said that "it is an honour to serve the Congress party".

This tweet came hours later when he told the reporters that the party should decide on the new president quickly without further delay.

Taking to Twitter and standing firm on his decision, Gandhi said, “It is an honour for me to serve the Congress Party, whose values and ideals have served as the lifeblood of our beautiful nation. I owe the country and my organisation a debt of tremendous gratitude and love.”

In his letter, Rahul said that as the president of the party, he takes responsibility for the loss of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. He also said that accountability is crucial for the growth of the party and that is the reason he has decided to resign from the post of the party president.

He said that Congress must radically transform itself, and it is the party's duty to defend people's voices which the BJP is crushing.

Ending the letter, he said: “I was born a Congressman, this party has always been with me and is my life's blood and forever that way it shall remain.”

Earlier on Wednesday, he said, “I'm nowhere in this process. I have already submitted my resignation and I am no longer the party president. CWC should convene a meeting at the earliest and decide.”

This came a day after Chief Ministers of Congress-ruled states called on Gandhi to reconsider the decision taken after the party managed to win just 52 Lok Sabha seats in the recently-held elections.

After Gandhi had quit from his post on May 25, the party faced mass resignations as 200 leaders and workers stepped down from their positions.