Sonia Gandhi asks PCC chiefs of 5 states to resign following poll debacle

New Delhi, Mar 15: Following the poor performances at the recently-concluded polls in five states, Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi on Monday asked the party's state unit chiefs in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab and Manipur to resign.

The development comes two days after the Congress Working Committee (CWC) discussed threadbare the reasons for the party's debacle in these Assembly polls. The Congress failed to win in any of the states and lost Punjab to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

"Congress President, Smt. Sonia Gandhi has asked the PCC Presidents of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur to put in their resignations in order to facilitate reorganisation of PCCs," chief spokesperson of the party Randeep Surjewala said on Twitter.

The CWC, in its marathon meeting, had asked the Congress president to initiate necessary changes in the organisation in order to strengthen it. "The CWC unanimously reaffirms its faith in the leadership of Smt.

Sonia Gandhi and requests the Congress President to lead from the front, address the organisational weaknesses, effect necessary and comprehensive organisational changes in order to take on the political challenges," it had said after the meeting.

Meanwhile, the leader of G-23, a group of 23 Congress leaders demanding an organisational overhaul, will be reportedly meeting on Wednesday to discuss their future course of action in the wake of the party's poor show in recently-concluded elections.