The Congress Working Committee (CWC) will meet on Saturday evening, the second time in the day, during which it is likely to take a final call on a new party president, after Rahul Gandhi rejected its unanimous appeal to reconsider his May 25 resignation.
The party's top decision-making body will reconvene at 8 pm to discuss reports of five groups, formed earlier in the day, and scrutinize the names of the potential successor to Rahul Gandhi.
UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi recused themselves from the process saying they they cannot be part of the consultations as they have been Congress presidents in the past and would not like the opinion of the party leaders to be influenced in any manner.
At 11 am, the Congress' top brass, including ex-prime minister Manmohan Singh, party general secretaries Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Ahmed Patel, A K Antony, Ghulam Nabi Azad and P Chidambaram, went into a huddle at the All India Congress Committee headquarters here.
The CWC decided to have consultations with leaders from across the country and it was divided into five groups for different regions -- northeast, east, north, west and south.
The CWC group for the northeast region included top party leaders such as Ahmed Patel, Ambika Soni and former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat. The group for eastern region included AICC general secretary (organisaton) K C Venugopal, ex-Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi and former Union minister Kumari Selja.
The northern region group included Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Jyotiraditya Scindia and P Chidambaram. The western region group was has leaders such as Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mallikarjun Kharge, A K Antony and Motilal Vora.
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The group for the southern region included Manmohan Singh, Anand Sharma and Mukul Wasnik.
The five groups were formed to hold wider consultations with party leaders from across the country that included state unit chiefs, parliamentarian and Congress Legislative Party leaders.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, his deputy Sachin Pilot, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and Puducherry CM V Narayansamy were also part of the consultation process.
Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said several leaders who could not make it to New Delhi have been consulted over phone. The five groups will place their final report before the CWC at 8 pm.
The CWC is yet to accept Rahul Gandhi's resignation and began its meeting by urging him to continue as party chief in the wake of the BJP's "onslught on democracy and dissent," Surjewala said.
It, however, proceeded with the deliberations on the party's next chief after Rahul Gandhi made it clear that he will not take back his resignation.
Party sources said most leaders rooted for Rahul Gandhi to continue or Priyanka Gandhi to be made Congress president, signalling a deep divide in the party over who could lead it in these "trying times".
Narayansamy told reporters, "I told them that Rahul Gandhi should continue as AICC president. They asked me for an alternative, but I said there is none. We have to persuade him to withdraw his resignation because he is the only leader who can carry the party forward and strengthen it."
Clarity on the issue is expected by tonight, with Surjewala saying, "There is a sense that this impasse should end as soon as possible, which is why the CWC will meet again at 8 pm to take a call."
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