new Delhi: The Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting held to review the electoral defeat in five states concluded in Delhi on Sunday. After the meeting, senior leader Mallikarjun Kharge said, “Congress interim president Sonia will lead us and take steps in future.” We all have faith in his leadership.”
Kharge’s statement came after Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi said she was ready to resign along with Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra if party workers wanted it.
Kharge’s views were also echoed by Venugopal who said that the CWC has unanimously reaffirmed the confidence in the leadership of Congress President Sonia Gandhi.
Congress interim president Sonia will lead us and take future steps. We all have faith in his leadership: Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge after party’s working committee meeting pic.twitter.com/1l5ahufDjd
— ANI (@ANI) 13 March 2022
An official CWC statement after the meeting said that the recent election results are a matter of grave concern. The statement also said that the Congress could not expose the misrule of the BJP.
The party’s official statement said, “The results of the recent assembly elections in five states are a matter of grave concern to the Indian National Congress. The party acknowledges that due to shortcomings in our strategy, we could not effectively expose the misrule of the BJP State Governments in four states and overcome the anti-incumbency wave in the state of Punjab in a short time after the change of leadership.
The Congress recently lost only 2 out of 403 seats in Uttar Pradesh, 18 out of 117 in Punjab, 18 out of 70 in Uttarakhand, 12 out of 20 in Goa and six out of 60 in Manipur.
Despite the defeat in five states, the CWC statement said Congress is the hope of millions of people of the country and thanked party workers and leaders working in these five states.
“The Congress party today represents the hopes of millions of Indians against the political authoritarianism prevailing in the country and the party is fully conscious of its immense responsibility,” the CWC statement said.
The party also said that its leaders humbly accept the election results and that it will “remain a vigilant and vibrant opposition.”
The meeting was attended by Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Randeep Surjewala, Mallikarjun Kharge, Ambika Soni, Harish Rawat, and former PM Dr. Manmohan Singh among other senior party leaders.
After the budget session of Parliament, the Congress will organize a ‘Chintan Shivir’, before which the CWC will meet again.