Along with members of Parliament, State unit leaders will be part of these groups to carry out wider consultations and decide on a single name.
The Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party’s highest executive body, will start the formal process of finding a replacement for outgoing president Rahul Gandhi and constitute five groups to represent the different geographical regions.
To take forward the process of choosing the next party president, State units will be consulted and all the PCC chiefs have been called for a meeting on Saturday morning.
Along with members of Parliament, State unit leaders will be part of these groups to carry out wider consultations and decide on a single name.
If a consensus is not arrived by Saturday, the CWC could meet again on Sunday.
A senior leader quoted Mr. Gandhi as telling party colleagues that “the whole process would be done in three four days”.
Mr. Gandhi’s response came on Friday during a meeting with State leaders where the Congress had discussed the party line on Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and Article 370.
State leaders pointed out that the party workers were demoralised and were deserting the Congress after the Lok Sabha rout.
On Friday, Ajoy Kumar added to the sense of crisis as he resigned from the post of party president of Jharkhand — a State where elections are due in about three months. In his resignation letter, Mr. Kumar blamed senior leaders of sabotaging the party’s interests.
“Rahul ji told us that there is nothing to fear and be scared of the BJP. In the past 15 years, he said he is not scared even by a bullet,”said a leader quoting the outgoing chief and added,’He also said that some leaders will leave the party but majority will fight.”
Mr. Gandhi told his party colleagues that though he will not hold the president’s post, he will continue to fight the government and the Rashtriya Swayamasevak Sangh (RSS)
With the CWC now set to meet after dithering over the leadership question since Mr. Gandhi’s decision, senior party leader Abhishek Singhvi had taken to Twitter to suggest that the party could ill afford any further delay.
“On Saturday, a consensus builder party President of Congress must be selected. Slightest delay is not an option,” tweeted Mr. Singhvi.
For over two months now, the party has been unable to move ahead with a group of senior leaders who held a series of informal meetings failing to reach a consensus. Party veteran Janardan Dwivedi had questioned these informal discussions and urged Mr, Gandhi to constitute a panel of leaders who could act as a search committee.
While Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh suggested that a young leader, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, ought to take over the reins, others like Shashi Tharoor have mooted the appointment of an interim chief followed by fresh elections for the top post.
Public speculation on possible contenders has included the names of Mukul Wasnik, Mallikarjun Kharge, Sachin Pilot and Jyotiraditya Scindia, among others. As per the party’s constitution, the senior most general secretary is made the provisional Congress president before organisational elections are held.
‘Presidium structure’
“A presidium structure that signals collective and deliberative leadership with a blend of wisdom experience and youthful dynamism can reinvigorate the party,” former Law Minister Ashwani Kumar told The Hindu.
The leadership vacuum has been clearly visible in the past two-and-half months as the Congress hurtled from one crisis to another. The collapse of the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition government in Karnataka, the defection of 10 lawmakers in the Goa Assembly and the latest desertions by two Rajya Sabha members — Bhubaneswar Kalita and Sanjay Sinh — to join the ruling BJP, all reflect a party in crisis mode.
