The much-talked-about meeting of the Congress working committee began at around 4 PM on 13th March 2022 in New Delhi. While 5 senior members of the party and the former prime minister Manmohan Singh were absent in this CWC meeting, party workers were seen protesting against the G-23 leaders and in support of Gandhi family members outside the AICC headquarters when the meeting was going on.
The CWC meeting had been called by the party’s interim president Sonia Gandhi to discuss the causes and effects of the recent decimation of the party in the assembly elections of five states. Congress not only failed to retain the state of Punjab but also saw a sharp decline in its number of seats in the other states.
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and 5 other senior members of the party were absent in this meeting. According to a report by the Republic World, ex-defence minister AK Antony, MP A Chella Kumar, former Manipur Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam, Tariq Hameed Karra, and G Sanjeeva Reddy did not attend this meeting. while Antony has missed the meeting after testing positive for COVID-19, the reasons behind other leaders missing the CWC meeting have not yet been specified.
Congress Working Committee meeting begins. The meeting is being chaired by party’s interim president Sonia Gandhi pic.twitter.com/czj37hmjKX
— ANI (@ANI) March 13, 2022
A day before this meeting, NDTV had reported that all the members of the Gandhi family that is Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and Rahul Gandhi will resign from their posts in this CWC meeting. However, the party had denied this. Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala had slammed NDTV for spreading fake news. Amidst these speculations, party workers protested against the G-23 leaders and in support of Gandhi family members outside the AICC headquarters on 13th March 2022 before the CWC meeting started.
Protest in support of Gandhis and against the G-23 leaders in front of AICC HQ in Delhi pic.twitter.com/ciwH9D4pdA
— Anjali Ojha (@ojhaanjali) March 13, 2022
Earlier today, the Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot had said that Rahul Gandhi must head the party. He said, “Rahul Gandhi must become head of the Congress party. No one from the Gandhi family has become PM for close to 30 years now. The Gandhi family is important to strengthen Congress.”
Decimation of Congress in recent assembly elections
The Congress party’s performance in the recent assembly elections has been disastrous. In Uttar Pradesh, it has managed to win just 2 seats. Having taken charge of a drowning Congress in Uttar Pradesh, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has firmly sunk the party. Congress’ family bastions Amethi and Rae Bareli, where the party had some hope of attracting votes in the name of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, have also completely slipped out of the Gandhi family’s hands under her leadership. The party drew a big fat zero in both Amethi and Rae Bareli in the 2022 UP Assembly elections.
Likewise in other states, Congress has lost Punjab where it was in power for the last term. In the 117-seat assembly, Congress has got just 18. Congress has also lost in Manipur, a 60-seat assembly, where it has been reduced from 23 to 5. In Goa, Congress has secured 12 seats out of 40, while in Uttarakhand, it got 19 out of 70 seats.
