'Rahul to continue till new chief appointed'

New Delhi, July 3: Rahul Gandhi continues to be Congress president till his resignation is accepted by the CWC and a new chief is appointed after due process, top Congress sources said on Wednesday.

Gandhi made public his resignation through an open letter and removed Congress president from his profile on his official Twitter account.

He said in his letter that he was resigning as Congress president after taking responsibility and accountability of the party's Lok Sabha poll debacle. Congress sources also said speculation that Motilal Vora would be appointed as interim party president are incorrect.

Rahul Gandhi officially conforming that he would indeed step down as the Congress chief elicited wide range of reactions from leaders across political parties. Gandhi took full responsibility for party's abyssmal performance in 2019 Lok Sabha elections and wrote in a Twitter post that "accountability is critical for the future growth of our party."

Gandhi reportedly made it clear on May 25 itself that would step down as the Congress chief, but many top party leaders asked him not to and some even staged sit-ins in front of his residence.

Asserting that he was no longer the Congress president, Gandhi on Wednesday said it had been an honour to serve the party, the values and ideals of which had served as the "lifeblood of this beautiful nation". As the president of the Congress, he said he was responsible for the party's debacle in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.

PTI