Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh did not attend the crucial meeting of the Congress Working Committee or CWC that was called today to assess the party’s poll performance and discuss the crushing defeat in the just-concluded Assembly elections in five states.

 

Besides Singh, former defence minister AK Antony and three other Congress leaders skipped the meeting of the party’s top decision-making body.

 

Antony was not present at the meeting as he has been tested positive for COVID-19. “He is extremely disappointed to not being able to attend today’s CWC meeting,” tweeted his son, Anil K Antony.

 

Congress president Sonia Gandhi, former party chief Rahul Gandhi, general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, KC Venugopal, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and P Chidambaram were among those attending the meeting.

 

The Congress could not oust the BJP from power in Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur and the party’s tally in politically crucial Uttar Pradesh fell to its lowest. The grand old party also lost Punjab to the Aam Aadmi Party.

 

Meanwhile, several leaders of the Congress again voiced support for Rahul Gandhi to take on the mantle of party chief

 

Rahul had resigned as Congress president after the party faced its second consecutive defeat in Lok Sabha polls in 2019. Subsequently, Sonia Gandhi took over the reins of the party again as interim president.

 

In 2020, she had also offered to quit the post after a section of leaders, referred to as G-23, called for an organisational overhaul and full-time party chief, but the CWC had urged her to continue.