india

Updated: Jun 26, 2019 07:33 IST

Indian Youth Congress (IYC) workers will on Wednesday appeal to Rahul Gandhi to continue as Congress president, days after he announced his decision to quit the post in the wake of the party’s debacle in the general elections, according to an IYC communiqué.

The Congress managed to win just 52 of the 543 Lok Sabha seats, only a marginal improvement from its 2014 tally of 44 seats. The party could not open its account in as many as 18 states and union territories.

Gandhi, who won the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat in Kerala, lost to Bharatiya Janata Party’s Smriti Irani in Amethi, which was considered a stronghold of the party. “In order to urge Rahul Gandhi to continue as President, members and workers of Indian Youth Congress will gather at his residence urging him to continue his guidance, under the leadership of IYC national president Keshav Chand Yadav, AICC in-charge to IYC, Krishna Allavaru, and IYC national vice president Srinivas BV,” said a communiqué from the IYC, the Congress’ youth wing, on Tuesday.

On May 25, the Congress Working Committee, the party’s highest decision making body, had rejected Gandhi’s resignation offer and requested him to continue to lead the party.

The IYC move comes at a time when Gandhi has already told the media that he will have no role in picking his successor but the Congress has not given up hope yet. Gandhi, who had minimised his interactions with party leaders and did not sign important papers, has agreed to meet a delegation of the Congress leaders from Maharashtra and Hayrana. Both states are going to polls later this year.

Meanwhile, Congress parliamentary party leader Sonia Gandhi has called a meeting of all party MPs on Wednesday. They are expected to discuss the party’s floor strategy in Parliament and take a call on bills, including the triple talaq bill.