Sources said that despite senior leaders making serious attempts to convince him to rethink on his decision, Gandhi is said to be unfazed.
It was a many splendoured political career, which ended at the presidential palace. But the prime minister's post eluded him, even though it was a position he openly aspired for.
'If you believe the Congress will win in 2024 because Modi is blundering from one monumental disaster to another, that means you are living in a fool's paradise.'
A crucial meeting of the Congress Working Committee, the highest decision making body of the party, began on Thursday on issues relating to firming up of alliances, finalising the manifesto and coining the winning strategy for the Lok Sabha polls. This is the first meeting in the recent past in which Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would not participate as he has recently undergone a coronary by-pass surgery.
With the Lok Sabha polls drawing near, the Congress Working Committee meeting here on Thursday is expected to finalise the strategy to take on the challenges from the Left and the Bharatiya Janata Party. Going to the Parliamentary polls for the first time after sharing power at the Centre, the Congress is likely to give finishing touches to its poll manifesto as also decide on the campaign theme.
With the Congress leadership reportedly inching towards a favourable decision on Telangana statehood demand, a party member of Legislative Assembly and several YSR Congress legislators from non-Telangana regions on Thursday said they have "resigned" in support of united Andhra Pradesh.
UPA chairperson and Congress president Sonia Gandhi praised the courage and spirit of Kashmiri women who had "been through the worst during the violence in the state."
Singh said nobody anticipated that Scindia would quit the party.
Many leaders who appealed to Gandhi to stay argued that their political futures depended on his presence in the party and hence he must stay.
The Congress is in introspective mood, especially after the Karnataka debacle. The Congress Working Committee which met in New Delhi on Saturday to discuss the poll drubbing has decided to form committees to suggest ways to revive the party.
Arjun Singh may have survived yet once again, but this time he may have over-reached himself. So far he had used his `loyalty' to the first family as a political weapon to manouevre the situation to his advantage, but this time he took on the leadership, and that is bound to have its own fallout
Rahul Gandhi's advocacy of the need to be practical for the party to keep pace with changes led to various interpretations, including reports that he favoured the Congress not being strict about abstinence, a must for new entrants.
Even partymen are skeptical of Rahul's chances of changing the party's fortunes in Uttar Pradesh.
Khurshid also asserted that the Congress was going through a "transitional process", but there was no leadership crisis plaguing the party as Sonia Gandhi was there at the helm.
The meeting between Dr Singh and Kalam came ahead of the Congress Working Committee session, which discussed the situation in UP.
Dwivedi ducked questions whether any ally or supporting parties had a right to veto any decisionof the coalition. This was significant in the backdrop of the Left opposition to the dismissal of the Yadav government.
Party chief Sonia Gandhi has convened the meeting at a time when rising inflation and record international prices of crude oil have created serious concerns before the Congress as also the coalition government
Rahul Gandhi's name does not figure for any organisational post.
The Vice-Presidential elections are scheduled within a month of that for the President. Incumbent A P J Abdul Kalam is leaving office on July 24 and the schedule for the Presidential elections will be announced 'anytime now'.
'This letter assumes significance as it is for the first time that a letter has been documented and collectively agreed upon.'
The party managed only 52 seats on its own and many of its top leadership, including Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and Jyotiraditya Scindia were defeated in the polls.
Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters in New Delhi, Gandhi said the Congress Working Committee will meet soon and decide whether he should resign as the party chief following the electoral debacle.
The Union Cabinet is set to discuss the Group of Ministers' report on Telangana and also consider the Telangana Bill clause by clause.
The party will launch its 'Sevagram Se Sangram' likening its fight against Modi-led government to the freedom struggle against the British.
Aditi Phadnis remembers the former prime minister on her 102nd birth anniversary.
The Congress, who has presently become a "leaderless" party, has also been facing multiple shocks at the state levels.
The Congress expected the DMK to allot a 'respectable number of seats'.
The government said it was doing whatever possible to reduce prices.
"Our target was the decimation of the Samajwadi Party and we have succeeded in it," Salman Khursheed said, congratulating Mayawati on her party's performance.
Both parties refusing to yield on the key issue of number of DIC-K candidates contesting on Congress symbol.
Ramesh Chennithala appointed KPCC president.
The Congress chief met senior United Democratic Front leaders, including Ramesh Chennithala and P K Kunhalikutty.
Rahul feels collective decisions taken with his mother and sister helped the party in the December assembly elections. Hence, he wants to follow the same strategy for the Lok Sabha election, too.
'The party dropped me as a spokesperson for showing a roadmap. It shows that the party either has a high level of arrogance or they are completely detached from ground realities.'
'Since the two successive drubbings of the Congress have rung the alarm bells about the party's future, the need to chart a new course cannot be delayed any further,' says Amulya Ganguli.
Ahead of the Congress Working Committee meeting on Monday, party leader Manish Tewari said the resignation of the party leadership after the poll debacle is not the way forward.
He has also convened the first meeting of the extended CWC on July 22 to chalk out the party's future strategy.
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