LIVE NEWS and UPDATES

Election 2019 LIVE Updates: TMC MLA Manirul Islam, three party workers join BJP in Delhi







  • 17:02 (IST)

    Mamata to stage sit-in tomorrow over TMC leaders’ defections to BJP

    CNN-News18 reported West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has decided to hold a dharna on Thursday at Naihati at 1 pm over the mass exodus of Trinamool leaders.








  • 16:56 (IST)

    RJD to meet Congress in Delhi over election results

    RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said that the Congress has invited his party to meet in Delhi to discuss election results. “We are in touch with Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Ahmed Patel and others. We will participate in the meeting there,” he said.

    Tejashwi Yadav, RJD in Patna, Bihar: Congress party has invited us for the meeting in Delhi, where election results will be discussed. We are in touch with Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Ahmed Patel and others. We will participate in the meeting there. pic.twitter.com/C4mIVfCw3c

    — ANI (@ANI) May 29, 2019








  • 16:50 (IST)

    Chandrababu Naidu to skip Jagan Mohan Reddy’s swearing-in tomorrow

    According to ANI, TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu will not attend the swearing-in ceremony of YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday. A TDP delegation will meet Reddy at his Amaravati residence before the event.

    The TDP, which ruled the state from June 2014, faced a rout at the hands of the YSRC in the recently-concluded election to the state Assembly, winning just 23 of the 175 seats.








  • 16:38 (IST)

    Another BJP MLA jumps ship to BJP

    Trinamool Congress MLA Manirul Islam joined BJP in Delhi. At a press conference, senior BJP leaders Mukul Roy and Kailash Vijayvargiya also announced that TMC workers Gadadhar Hazra, Mohd Asif Iqbal and Nimai Das are also joining the saffron party. 

    The development comes a day after three Bengal MLAs, including BJP leader Mukul Roy’s son Subhrangshu Roy, and over 50 councillors, most of them from the TMC, joined the BJP.

    Trinamool Congress MLA Manirul Islam joins Bharatiya Janata Party in Delhi. TMC’s Gadadhar Hazra, Mohd Asif Iqbal and Nimai Das also join BJP. pic.twitter.com/Y2rOILuZ2f

    — ANI (@ANI) May 29, 2019








  • 16:27 (IST)

    Congress leaders outside Rahul’s residence

    Congress leader Jagdish Tytler — an accused in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots — and other party leaders and supporters are present outside the Rahul Gandhi’s residence in New Delhi. Earlier, some party workers who sat on hunger strike outside Rahul’s residence to convince him against quitting were reportedly detained by the police and let off subsequently.

    Delhi: Jagdish Tytler and other Congress leaders and supporters present outside the residence of Congress President Rahul Gandhi. pic.twitter.com/DzX3ITpi2X

    — ANI (@ANI) May 29, 2019








  • 16:17 (IST)

    Kejriwal wishes Jaitley speedy recovery

    Aam Aadmi Parti supremo Arvind Kejriwal wished Arun Jaitley speedy recovery and a healthy life after the senior BJP leader cited health reasons to opt out of the new Narendra Modi Cabinet.

    Wish @arunjaitley ji speedy recovery and a healthy life. I have known him since many years and despite political differences, I have always found him to be affectionate and warm.

    — Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) May 29, 2019








  • 16:01 (IST)

    Rajasthan Congress passes resolution asking Rahul to continue as the party president

    At a press conference, Rajasthan Congress in-charge Avinash Pande said that the state Congress unit has passed a resolution, requesting Rahul Gandhi to continue as the party’s national president.

    Avinash Pande, Rajasthan Congress in-charge: Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee has passed a resolution, requesting Rahul Gandhi to continue as the party President. pic.twitter.com/UY21O5dDww

    — ANI (@ANI) May 29, 2019








  • 15:55 (IST)

    Rahul firm on quitting, workers urge him to take back resignation

    The crisis in the Congress showed no signs of easing with Rahul Gandhi sticking to his decision to resign as party chief after its Lok Sabha poll debacle and staying away from meeting party leaders.

    Following this some party workers sat on a hunger strike outside his house to convince him against quitting. The Congress workers were detained by the police and let off subsequently. Delhi Congress leader Vijay Jatan and some workers, who sat on a hunger strike outside Gandhi’s Tughlaq Lane residence, said their demand was that the latter should take his resignation back because the party needed his leadership.








  • 15:47 (IST)

    Many firsts at Narendra Modi’s second swearing-in 

    Narendra Modi’s swearing-in ceremony on Thursday will usher in his second term as the Prime Minister. The ceremony will see many firsts.

    • BIMSTEC leaders to attend – Leaders of BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) countries will attend the swearing-in ceremony of an Indian PM for the first time. The grouping comprises Bangladesh, Myanmar, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal and Bhutan.
    • Invitation to kin of slain BJP workers –  This is also the first time that a political party has invited family members of its grassroots workers who became victims of political violence. 
    • Record number of attendees – A record number of attendees will attend the event. Nearly 6500 guests will attend Modi’s swearing-in on Thursday. In 2014, the guest list stood at approximately 5000. 







  • 15:39 (IST)

    Irani, Gambhir, Prasad among 300 MPs elected for first time to new Lok Sabha

    The new Lok Sabha will have 300 MPs who have been elected for the first time to the Lower House, including cricketer-turned-politician Gautam Gambhir, Union ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad and Smriti Irani, sufi singer Hans Raj Hans and Bengali actresses Mimi Chakraborty and Nusrat Jahan Ruhi.

    The last Lok Sabha, also known as the 16th Lok Sabha, had 314 MPs who were elected for the first time, according to think tank PRS Legislative Research 

    From the outgoing Lok Sabha, as many as 197 MPs have been re-elected, the PRS said.  

    BJP’s Rita Bahuguna Joshi and Keshari Devi Patel also registered their maiden win in the Lok Sabha election from Allahabad and Phulpur seats, respectively.

    Among other winners were LJP chief Ramvilas Paswan’s brother Pashupati Kumar Paras who won from reserved seat of Hajipur in north Bihar while BJP’s Tejasvi Surya triumphed over his Congress rival in Bangalore South.








  • 15:33 (IST)

    Kejriwal admits Modi wave ‘rubbed off on Delhi’ but insists AAP will win in ‘small’ Assembly polls

     In a note addressed to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers, Kejriwal said the thumping mandate given to Modi’s brand of politics “rubbed off on Delhi” as well. 

    “Our volunteers ran a superb campaign, putting all their energies into it. Across the country, people acknowledged that our candidates were among the best. The results, however, did not meet our expectations. Post-election ground analysis has revealed two major reasons. First, the atmosphere that prevailed in the country rubbed off on Delhi as well. Second, people saw this “big election” as between Modi and Rahul and voted accordingly,” he said. 

    However, the Delhi chief minister said people have been enthusiastically assuring him of voting for AAP in the assembly elections.

    Read the full article here








  • 15:26 (IST)

    ‘Inviting kin of BJP workers killed in Bengal to let them know we are with them,’ Dilip Ghosh on BJP’s ‘special invitees’ to swearing-in ceremony 

    “Two members from each family will attend the swearing-in ceremony. The whole idea is to send a message to the party workers across Bengal that Modi ji is with us. Our party cadres in the ground level welcomed this gesture and lauded PM Modi’s care and respect for them,” Dilip Ghosh said. 


     








  • 15:21 (IST)

    Tripura congress opens relief fund for post poll violence victims 

    Congress leader and royal scion Pradyot Kishore Deb Barman has donated Rs 10 lakh to the relief fund of the party for helping those affected by the post-poll violence in the state. He said that Congress has opened a cell at the state headquarters which receives copies of FIRs which have been filed by the victims of violence in police stations across the state. He added that Congress would move a petition in the Supreme Court, seeking compensation for the families of each person affected by the violence.

    “In this 21st century, nobody can contemplate this kind of barbarism, where fellow citizens are being attacked just because of political differences. The state has failed to protect the constitutional rights of the citizens. India has a multi-party democratic set up. But in West Bengal and Tripura, after every election, the supporters of the losing party have always faced violence and the government did not take any step, Barman said.

    As many as three supporters of BJP were killed in the violence and close to 200 people were injured in the violence so far after election result was announced. During elections also more than 100 people were injured in the political violence but none of them are top leaders of any party and always common people have become victim, he added.








  • 15:13 (IST)

    Congress skips mahagathbandhan meeting in Bihar  

    ANI reported that no Congress leader was present at the RJD grand alliance meeting being held at former Bihar chief minister and RJD leader Rabri Devi’s residence in Patna. 








  • 14:51 (IST)

    Pinarayi Vijayan not to attend Modi’s swearing-in ceremony 

    Kerala Chief Minister Office in a statement said that Pinarayi Vijayan will not attend Prime Minister-elect Narendra Modi’s oath taking ceremony on 30 May. 








  • 14:37 (IST)

    ‘Please excuse me’: Mamata Banerjee fumes after Modi invites kin of BJP workers killed in Bengal

    In a scathing letter addressed to Prime Minister-elect Narendra Modi, Mamata Banerjee walked back on her decision to attend the swearing ceremony. She said, “It was my plan to attend the constitutional invitation and attend the oath-taking ceremony. However, in the last one hour I am seeing media reports that BJP is claiming 54 people have been murdered in political violence in Bengal. This is completely untrue.” 

    She also handed out advice to the saffron party to not play politics on an ‘august occasion’, stating that she would like to be excused from the event. 








  • 14:31 (IST)

    Mamata decides not to attend Narendra Modi’s swearing-in, slams BJP for politicising ‘august occasion’

    After reports that families of 54 West bengal BJP workers killed in alleged political violence will attend Modi’s swearing-in, a furious Mamata Banerjee has walked back on her decision to do attend the event. She tweeted that all reports of political violence in Bengal are untrue and advised BJP not to ‘devalue’ an ‘august occasion’ to score political points.








  • 14:31 (IST)

    Good wishes pour in for Jaitley after outgoing FM opts out of Modi government 

    As soon as the news of Jaitley voluntarily opting out of Modi cabinet made headlines, BJP supporters and leaders prayed for his health and early recovery. Many took to Twitter to convey their wishes to Jaitley. 

    Wishing you a speedy recovery @arunjaitley Ji

    very rarely we see politicians voluntarily opting out of power.

    wish to see you back in action soon https://t.co/CmJwICSq8W

    — Kapil Mishra (@KapilMishra_IND) May 29, 2019

    Wishing you a speedy recovery @arunjaitley Ji. May God bless you with good health. Get well soon, Arun Ji! https://t.co/LEnu7Et4JO

    — Pratyush Kanth (@PratyushKanth) May 29, 2019

    Wishing you a speedy recovery @arunjaitley Ji. May God bless you with good health. Get well soon, Arun Ji! https://t.co/LEnu7Et4JO

    — Pratyush Kanth (@PratyushKanth) May 29, 2019








  • 14:14 (IST)

    Pema Khandu sworn-in as Arunachal Pradesh chief minister 

    Senior BJP leader Pema Khandu took oath as the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh on Wednesday. Governor Brig (Retd) B.D. Mishra administered the oath at the Dorjee Khandu Convention Centre here. Eleven Cabinet Ministers, including Chowna Mein, also took the oath of secrecy. Chief Ministers of Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura 








  • 13:48 (IST)

    Jaitley’s health was bothering him since last year; outgoing FM was suffering from renal ailment 

    Arun Jaitley’s health has been on a decline ever since he underwent a kidney transplant in May last year, PTI said. He has not attended office for the last three weeks and has rarely been seen in public. He, however, has been writing blogs and tweeted on Modi’s victory Thursday. He neither attended the Cabinet meeting called Friday that recommended dissolution of the 16th Lok Sabha, nor the Saturday meeting of the BJP parliamentary party that elected Modi as its leader. 

    He had undergone surgery in the US on 22 January for a reported soft tissue cancer in his left leg, an illness that deprived him from presenting the Modi government’s sixth and final budget of its current term. Railway and Coal minister Piyush Goyal was the stand-in finance minister who presented the interim budget for 2019-20.

    Jaitley had returned to India on 9 February after undergoing skin grafting. He is believed to have undergone some kind of a medical procedure again when he last month visited the US to attend the IMF-World Bank Group Spring Meetings.

    Jaitley had undergone renal transplant on 14 May last year at AIIMS, New Delhi, with Goyal filling in for him at that time too. Jaitley, who had stopped attending office since early April 2018, was back in the finance ministry on 23 August, 2018. Earlier in September 2014, he underwent bariatric surgery to correct the weight he had gained because of a long-standing diabetic condition.








  • 13:44 (IST)

    After winning Lok Sabha polls, Amit Shah, Ravi Shankar Prasad resign as members of Rajya Sabha 

    BJP president Amit Shah and outgoing minister of law Ravi Shankar Prasad have resigned from the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. Shah was elected to the Lok Sabha from Gandhinagar in Gujarat while Prasad won the Patna Sahib seat in the recently concluded polls. 








  • 13:42 (IST)

    Speculations around Jaitley’s health were doing rounds for a long time 

    Speculations around Jaitley’s health were doing rounds for a long time. The government responded to these rumours and said reports on the deteriorating health of Jaitley are false and baseless, and media should stay clear of rumour mongering. Amid speculations on the state of Jaitley’s health, government spokesperson Sitanshu Kar took to Twitter to clear the air. 

    Jaitley’s college friend and media baron Rajat Sharma took to Twitter to dispel rumours. “Everyone is discussing my friend @arunjaitley’s health, some out of genuine concern and some for loose talk. Let me share with you that I met him last evening, he is recovering well and is working behind the scenes. Friends and family have convinced him to stay away from public interaction to avoid infection. I am glad he has finally agreed.” 








  • 13:33 (IST)

    Would like to keep away for some time: Arun Jaitley opts out of Cabinet citing health reasons  

    “… Though I was able to discharge the duties assigned to me during the campaign, I would in future, for some time, like to keep away from any responsibility. This will enable me to concentrate on my treatment and health… I am writing to you to formally request you that I should be allowed a reasonable time for myself, my treatment and my health, and, therefore, not be a part of any responsibility, for the present, in the new Government,” Jaitley wrote. 








  • 13:28 (IST)

    Nitish Kumar meets Amit Shah at his residence 

    Chief Minister of Bihar and key NDA ally Nitish Kumar visited BJP President Amit Shah at his residence on Wednesday. 

    Sources in the BJP said JD(U) is likely to get two ministerial berths in the Modi government, one Cabinet berth and one minister of state (MoS) position, IANS reported The JD-U is the third largest party in the National Democratic Alliance, after the BJP and Shiv Sena. The BJP has 303 MPs while Shiv Sena has 18 MPs. 








  • 13:24 (IST)

    Arun Jaitley asks Narendra Modi to relieve him of ministerial posts in new Cabinet, releases letter on Twitter

    BJP leader Arun Jaitley who had held key portfolios in the Union Cabinet including the finance ministry has asked to be relieved of any ministerial responsibilities for the second term. Jaitley has written a letter to Modi, stating that he would like to focus on his treatment and health for some time. 

    I have today written a letter to the Hon’ble Prime Minister, a copy of which I am releasing: pic.twitter.com/8GyVNDcpU7

    — Arun Jaitley (@arunjaitley) May 29, 2019








  • 13:04 (IST)

    Narendra Modi, Amit Shah hold marathon meetings ahead of swearing-in to finalise Cabinet

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah held a marathon meeting on Tuesday to discuss crucial aspects of the new government and the likely allocation of ministerial berths. On Wednesday too, the duo are expected to hold consultations to finalise the Union Cabinet head of the swaering-in tomorrow.  








  • 12:55 (IST)

    Modi’s invite to Mamata and the piercing message hidden in it

    Narendra Modi’s invite to Mamata Banerjee — along with all key Opposition leaders — and her graciousness in accepting the invite gave the impression that election-time animosity aside, the two leaders steering the Central and state governments respectively were ready to work together for the development of West Bengal.

    However, the families of over 50 BJP workers, who allegedly were killed in political violence in West Bengal, have also been invited to the oath-taking ceremony on 30 May. The decision was taken in a marathon five-hour meeting between Modi and BJP president Amit Shah at the prime minister-elect’s residence in Delhi on Tuesday night.

    NDTV quoted BJP leaders as saying that the gesture is meant to convey to the party’s cadre in Bengal that the central leadership cares for them and stands by them against “violence by Trinamool Congress workers”.








  • 12:53 (IST)

    Arvind Kejriwal writes open letter to AAP workers 

    AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal addressed a letter to the party workers, post the Lok Sabha elections, expressing appreciation and gratitude for their hardwork and efforts. 

    AAP National Convenor @ArvindKejriwal writes letter to all volunteers. 👇👇 pic.twitter.com/KI0twBr9YX

    — AAP (@AamAadmiParty) May 29, 2019








  • 12:40 (IST)

    Congress workers in Bengaluru hold protests urging Rahul Gandhi to continue as Congress chief 

    Congress workers in Bengaluru held demonstrations outside party office urging Rahul Gandhi to continue as Congress president. Rahul is reportedly adamant at quitting the post and installing a non-Gandhi for the forst time in decades at the helm of party affairs.  

    Bengaluru: Congress workers demonstrate outside party office urging Rahul Gandhi to continue as Congress President #Karnataka pic.twitter.com/uRcjlL8eG0

    — ANI (@ANI) May 29, 2019








  • 12:29 (IST)

    Venugopal to meet party leaders, MLAs in K’taka amid reports of rift between JD(S), Congress

    Amid reports that a cabinet expansion or reshuffle is on the cards in a bid to save the Congress-JD(S) coalition government in Karnataka, AICC general secretary KC Venugopal will hold a series of meetings with party leaders and legislators in the city on Wednesday.

    Venugopal, who reached Bengaluru  late Tuesday night, will meet  Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, Congress Legislative Party leader and Coordination Committee chief Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara and Pradesh Congress chief Dinesh Gundu Rao, sources said.








  • 12:28 (IST)

    Fasting Congress workers sit-in protest outside 12 Tughlaq Road to placate Rahul Gandhi from calling it quits

    A group of Congress workers sat on an indefinite fast outside Rahul Gandhi’s residence after the news of him being adamant on resigning as Congress chief leaked out. Media reports claimed that the workers are demanding that Rahul continues as Congress chief and reorganize the party to fight back.

Election 2019 Latest Updates: Trinamool Congress MLA Manirul Islam joined BJP in Delhi. At a press conference, senior BJP leaders Mukul Roy and Kailash Vijayvargiya also announced that TMC workers Gadadhar Hazra, Mohd Asif Iqbal and Nimai Das are also joining the saffron party.

Aam Aadmi Parti supremo Arvind Kejriwal wished Arun Jaitley speedy recovery and a healthy life after the senior BJP leader cited health reasons to opt out of the new Narendra Modi Cabinet.

After reports that families of 54 West bengal BJP workers killed in alleged political violence will attend Modi’s swearing-in, a furious Mamata Banerjee has walked back on her decision to do attend the event. She tweeted that all reports of political violence in Bengal are untrue and advised BJP not to ‘devalue’ an ‘august occasion’ to score political points.

BJP leader Arun Jaitley who had held key portfolios in the Union Cabinet including the finance ministry has asked to be relieved of any ministerial responsibilities for the second term. Jaitley has written a letter to Modi, stating that he would like to focus on his treatment and health for some time. Speculations around Jaitley’s health were doing rounds for a long time. Government officials responded and said that reports on the deteriorating health of Jaitley are false and baseless, and media should stay clear of rumour mongering. Amid speculations on the state of Jaitley’s health, government spokesperson Sitanshu Kar took to Twitter to clear the air.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah held a marathon meeting on Tuesday to discuss crucial aspects of the new government and the likely allocation of ministerial berths. On Wednesday too, the duo are expected to hold consultations to finalise the Union Cabinet head of the swearing-in tomorrow.

A group of Congress workers sat on an indefinite fast outside Rahul Gandhi’s residence after the news of him being adamant on resigning as Congress chief leaked out. Media reports claimed that the workers are demanding that Rahul continues as Congress chief and reorganise the party to fight back.

The crisis in the Congress showed no signs of easing on Tuesday with Rahul Gandhi sticking to his decision to resign as party chief after its Lok Sabha poll debacle and staying way from meeting party leaders, except a few including his mother and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

Sources said Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his deputy Sachin Pilot went to meet Gandhi at his Tughlaq lane residence, but they only managed to meet Priyanka there.

With senior Congress leaders pressing upon Rahul Gandhi to take back his resignation and revamp the party at all levels in these challenging times, a number of allies stood by him and urged him not to quit, describing him as the “best and competent” person to pull the party out of the abyss.

The sources said Gandhi is not meeting anyone and remains incommunicado. He met only Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi during the day, besides party leaders K C Venugopal and chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala.

Asked about the meeting, Gehlot and Pilot said that they did go to Rahul Gandhi’s residence separately and spent some 20 minutes each there.

Gehlot was reportedly ticked off by Gandhi at the CWC meeting on May 25 for giving priority to campaigning for his son in Jodhpur and neglecting other parts of the state.

Rahul Gandhi met Sonia Gandhi in the evening and the two spent some time together. Sonia Gandhi came along with Rahul to drop him at his residence and spent some time there too.

The sources indicate that the state executive of Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee will be meeting on Wednesday in Jaipur and would endorse the CWC resolution urging Rahul Gandhi to continue as party chief and steer the party out of its current state. The state co-ordination committee of Haryana is also meeting tomorrow.

The sources said more PCCs are likely to endorse the CWC resolution, as Delhi Congress chief Sheila Dikshit also appealed to Rahul to withdraw his decision to step down, saying the party has bounced back in the past from challenging circumstances to triumph.

The chorus of voices urging Rahul Gandhi not to quit grew as DMK chief M K Stalin told the Congress president that he has won the hearts of the people, while RJD supremo Lalu Prasad termed the offer to quit as “suicidal”, asserting it would amount to “falling into the BJP’s trap”.

Tamil superstar Rajinikanth also said the Congress chief should stay on as he was a “youngster” and perhaps not got the cooperation of senior party leaders.

Rahul Gandhi offered to quit as party chief at the CWC meeting on 25 May that unanimously rejected his offer and authorised him to overhaul and restructure the party at all levels. He is reported to be insisting on his resignation and adamant on having a non-Gandhi installed as the party head.

As senior Congress leaders made a determined bid to convince Gandhi to withdraw his resignation, Shashi Tharoor, who scored an electoral hat-trick by winning from the Thiruvanathapuram Lok Sabha seat, said Gandhi has led the party from the front and still has far more to offer to it.

The Congress bagged 52 seats, marginally up from 44 secured in 2014. Another Congress leader Pramod Tiwari said, “Instead of resigning, he should seek resignations of leaders at all levels and restructure the party.”

M Veerappa Moily, also of the Congress, termed the poll setback as a “passing phase”.

Describing Gandhi as an “inspiration” for the party, Moily said it was not appropriate for him to quit his post.

“Just because (Narendra) Modi has won…that is not a criteria to leave the presidentship. After all, ups and downs are common for the Congress party. We have seen them many a time,” he said.


Gandhi should not insist on his resignation and should “continue to guide the destiny of the party and the nation”, he said.

“Apart from legacy, on his own personality, he is the most competent person to lead the party,” Moily said.

During his telephonic conversation with Gandhi, Stalin told him though the Congress party has suffered defeat in the Lok Sabha polls, “you have won the hearts of the people”.

The DMK-led front in Tamil Nadu won 37 of the 38 LS seats to which election was held in the state.

Lalu Prasad tweeted: “Rahul’s offer to resign suicidal. Opposition parties had the common goal to dislodge BJP but failed to build a national narrative. The result in a particular election can never alter the reality in as diverse and plural a country as India.”

Asked by reporters in Chennai about Gandhi’s offer to resign, Rajnikanth said, “He should not resign.”

Leaders are pointing out that the CWC, which is the highest decision-making body of the party, has already put down in writing its decision at the meeting on May 25.

Asked at the AICC briefing, party spokesperson Pawan Khera said, “Let us not indulge in any speculation. The resolution of CWC stands and that is where we are.”

Asked whether Rahul Gandhi has taken back his resignation, Khera said, “The CWC is the most important decision making body of our Party. The CWC had rejected the resignation. What else do you want me to say? The CWC has rejected his offer to resign, has rejected his resignation.”

Faced with a colossal electoral defeat, the Congress has been riven by internal turmoil. As the party grapples with a severe existential crisis, its governments in Karnataka, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh teeter on the brink with reports suggesting the BJP may try to wrest power in these states.

Updated Date: May 29, 2019 17:02:29 IST

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