Rahul to not be part of process to select the next Congress chief

New Delhi, June 20: Rahul Gandhi, who has been adamant on stepping down as the Congress president, has reportedly made it clear that he does not want to be involved in the process of selecting the party chief.

After the Lok Sabha election result on May 23, Rahul Gandhi, in a Congress Working Committee meeting on May 25, told the senior party leaders that he does not want to continue as party chief. He did not even sit till the end of the meeting and went to his residence after expressing his decision to step down.

Several Congress leader then visited him and tried to convince him to continue, but Rahul Gandhi reportedly did not budge. The CWC was hell-bent upon keeping Rahul Gandhi on the post but he did not heed to the demand of the senior leaders.

“I won't decide who will be the next Congress president," reports quoted Rahul Gandhi as saying.

Many Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) Presidents have also resigned after the partys drubbing in their respective states.

After Rahul's decision, the state Congress units even passed resolutions urging him to continue as president.

The Lok Sabha elections saw the party rake up just 52 seats, only a marginal rise from the 44 it had managed to get in 2014. The Congress's dismal numbers in the Parliament meant that the party didn't fulfil the requirements for the Leader of Opposition (LoP) post.