Sonia Gandhi asks Congress heads of five states to resign after Assembly election debacle

Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday asked the party's state unit chiefs of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur to resign after Assembly election  debacle. 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 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. Ajay Kumar Lallu (UP), Ganesh Godiyal (Uttarakhand), Navjot Singh Sidhu (Punjab), Girish Chodankar (Goa) and Nameirakpam Loken Singh (Manipur) led campaigns for the Congress in their respective states.

The CWC, in its marathon meeting, had asked the Congress president to initiate necessary changes in the organisation in order to strengthen it. It decided that Sonia Gandhi will continue as the party president till at least August-September, when elections for the Congress president are scheduled to take place.In the recently concluded elections in five states, the Congress was dethroned by the Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab, while it was routed in the politically crucial state of Uttar Pradesh. The grand old party also failed to secure a majority in Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa as it was comprehensively beaten by the BJP.