Staff Reporter
Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi was unanimously re-elected as the chairperson of the Congress parliamentary party on Saturday, its leaders said.
At a meeting of party MPs, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge proposed Sonia Gandhi’s name as the chairperson of the parliamentary party.
The proposal was seconded by Gaurav Gogoi, K Sudhakaran and Tariq Anwar.
Earlier today, the Extended Congress Working Committee (CWC) unanimously passed a resolution requesting senior party leader Rahul Gandhi to assume the role of Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. Addressing a press conference following the CWC meeting in New Delhi on Saturday, Congress leader KC Venugopal said that the CWC believes Rahul Gandhi’s leadership will build a strong and vigilant opposition.
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh added that the recent elections serve as a booster dose for the Congress party. He noted that the party will conduct a thorough analysis of its election performance at state level.
In the opening remarks at the meeting of the extended Congress Working Committee, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge congratulated all the newly elected members of the Congress who fought and won the elections despite adverse circumstances. He said, in Manipur, from where Nyay Yatra started by the Congress, it won both the seats and also got seats in Nagaland, Assam, Meghalaya. He said that across the country, Congress party got immense support from the people for saving democracy and the Constitution. Mr Kharge said that together with I.N.D.I.A bloc partners, the party will work unitedly and together in and outside Parliament.
Senior party leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and party General secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra among others were present in the meeting.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has yet to decide whether he will retain the Rae Bareli or Wayanad seat. According to the party’s General Secretary and Rajya Sabha MP KC Venugopal, Rahul Gandhi will make his decision within the next 3-4 days.
The Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) meeting begins in the Central Hall of Parliament in the national capital on Saturday. Several prominent Congress leaders including UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and general secretary KC Venugopal are present in the meeting. Several other leaders including Karti Chidambaram, Rajiv Shukla, Randeep Surjewala, Ajay Maken, former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and Shashi Tharoor are also present Congress Parliamentary Party meeting. Meanwhile, the Congress party’s newly-elected MP from Amethi, who defeated BJP’s Smriti Irani, Kishori Lal Sharma arrived at the Central Hall of Parliament and said that the BJP should fulfil the promises.
The Congress’ senior leadership on Saturday, June 8, began crucial deliberations on the Lok Sabha election results to chalk out its future strategy at a meeting of the party’s working committee here. The extended meeting of the party’s top decision-making body — the Congress Working Committee (CWC) — started at Hotel Ashok.
