New delhi sources stated that sonia gandhi will return as Congress president for now, two years after she handed the top job to her son rahul Gandhi, the party's top decision-making body, the Working Committee, decided on Saturday after a 12-hour meeting. When pitching it as a stop-gap measure, the party said it will pick a new president when its plenary session is held later this year. Furthermore rahul Gandhi had quit the party's top post in May after its disastrous performance in the Lok Sabha election and subsequently refused the party's requests to withdraw his resignation.
Meanwhile on Saturday morning, sonia gandhi and rahul Gandhi had excused themselves from group meetings held to decide on a new chief, saying they cannot be part of the selection process. Hence despite Rahul Gandhi's insistence, the party failed to come up with a non-Gandhi alternative. Moreover the Congress Working Committee said all those present in the meeting wanted rahul Gandhi to continue as the party chief.
However, since he refused, sonia gandhi was requested to take over as interim president. It also passed a resolution, thanking rahul Gandhi for his service and the Congress's state units and the legislature parties took part in the meet that ended around 11 pm and there was suspense over whether the party will elect its new leader or go by nomination, as it happened traditionally. Meanwhile her return as interim chief comes ahead of a string of state elections later this year.
