Rahul Gandhi chairs party panel meeting on northeastern states

The committee headed by Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma includes former Chief Ministers of Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur, Nabam Tuki and Okram Ibobi Singh respectively.

New Delhi, April 27: Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday chaired a meeting of the party's coordination committee for northeastern states and discussed ways to strenghten the party in the wake of electoral losses.

"At the meeting of the North East Congress Coordination Committee. Discussed ways to strengthen the party in the region," said Gandhi on his official Twitter account, posting his photos with the committee members.

The committee headed by Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma includes former Chief Ministers of Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur, Nabam Tuki and Okram Ibobi Singh respectively.

This was the committee's first meeting after its re-constitution by Congress President Sonia Gandhi in November 2016.

"We discussed how to to strengthen the NECCC and the party organisation in the northeast states. We also discussed why the Congress was losing in the northeast. We reviewed the reasons for the party's poor show in the assembly polls," said a member who attended the meeting.

AICC General Secretary C.P. Joshi, said: "Issues pertaining to the problems in northeast states, and organisational deliberations were held. The members will discuss among themselves and come out with a proposal for the way forward for the party in the region."

The Congress lost assembly elections in Assam and despite getting highest number of seats in the March assembly polls in Manipur could not form the government in the state.

IANS