Ex-PM Manmohan wants Sonia to continue as Party President; CM Baghel backs Rahul: Sources

As Congress is gripped in a leadership crisis in the ongoing CWC meeting on Monday, sources report that the party has split into two camps - one supporting Sonia Gandhi as chief, the other backing Rahul Gandhi as chief. Sources report that Sonia aides like - Kamal Nath, Manmohan Singh, AK Antony, KC Venugopal have backed Sonia to continue chief, but other leaders like - Ahmed Patel, Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel, DK Shivakumar, Siddaramaiah, Salman Khurshid and most state-level chiefs have called for Rahul Gandhi to take over as Congress chief - with Ahmed Patel officially proposing it in the meeting.

Congress CWC Live Updates: Ahmed Patel proposes Rahul's name for Congress chief mid-revolt

Rahul Vs dissenters in CWC

While most Congress 52 senior members attending the meeting insisted that Sonia Gandhi continue as interim-chief till Rahul Gandhi agrees to take over, both the Gandhis have allegedly refused - Sonia Gandhi has insisted on stepping down while Rahul Gandhi has reportedly remained mum on the issue. Apart from leadership woes, all-out war between some of the signatories - Ghulam Nabi Azad and Kapil Sibal and the Wayanad MP. Rahul Gandhi allegedly said that the dissenters were 'in cahoots with the BJP', which prompted Sibal to lash out and Azad to reportedly offer to resign. Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala has clarified that no such statement was made by Gandhi.

The former Congress chief allegedly feels that party members should have discussed the issues in the CWC and not to the media. His camp feels that the party was betrayed by the senior Congress leaders who wrote the dissenting letter which has 23 signatories and over 300 Congress supporters. Sources report that the 'Sonia Vs Rahul' battle is being perpetuated by Congress, while the actual issue is to elect a 'non-Gandhi' chief or not, as pointed out by the dissenting leaders in the CWC meeting.

Kamal Nath refuses to back Rahul Gandhi as party chief; says Sonia must continue: Sources

23 leaders seek 'structural changes', Sonia offers to resign

Hinting at apparent turmoil within the Grand old party, 23 senior leaders wrote to party's interim-Chief Sonia Gandhi emphasising the need for active revival of the party and raised questions about the party's condition and direction, demanding an internal election to the CWC even at state levels, the formation of an Independent Election Authority, and institutional leadership mechanism, full-time leadership at the helm. The five-page letter - drafted by two senior leaders bears the signatures of leaders from the Congress' 'old guard ' and the 'young guard' (i.e Rahul Gandhi supporters). Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, Kapil Sibal, Manish Tiwari,  Anand Sharma, Shashi Tharoor, Jitin Prasad, Veerappa Moily, Pramod Tiwari, PJ Kurien, Sandeep Dikshit, as per sources. 

Amid row, Rahul Gandhi feels 'dissenters betrayed Congress' by taking grouse to media

BJP's Shivraj Chouhan says 'Congress bound to sink' as Sonia Gandhi may resign as chief