Sonia remains CPP leader, suspense continues on Leader of Congress in LS (2nd Lead)

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi will continue as the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) leader as the newly-elected Lok Sabha members of the party once again elected her to the post during their first meeting here on Saturday.

However, suspense over the Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha continued as the party authorised Sonia Gandhi to decide on it.

Gandhi won the Rae Bareli seat from Uttar Pradesh by defeating the BJP's Dinesh Pratap Singh by over 1.67 lakh votes.

"Sonia Gandhi elected as the leader of Congress Parliamentary Party! She says, awe thank the 12.13 crore voters for reposing faith in the Congress Party'," tweeted Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala.

According to party leaders, Sonia Gandhi's name was proposed by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

After the meeting, Surjewala told media persons, "Sonia Gandhi was unanimously elected as the CPP leader. She also accepted the mandate given the people of the country to the party."

Surjewala said that during the meeting, Sonia Gandhi said the party MPs will keep on raising the voice of the people in both Houses of Parliament.

Asked who will lead the party in the Lok Sabha, Surjewala said, "There is a constitution for Parliamentary party and Sonia Gandhi will decide on the Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha."

The CPP met here at the central hall of Parliament, amid continuing upheaval in the party as President Rahul Gandhi has been adamant on stepping down following a huge debacle in the Lok Sabha polls.

Sonia Gandhi was party president till 2017 for 19 long years before passing the baton to son Rahul Gandhi.

To a question about what Rahul Gandhi said during the meeting, Surjewala said: "He thanked the voters, party workers and leaders and leaders of the ally parties for supporting the party in the Lok Sabha elections."

He said: "Rahul Gandhi said that all the 52 Lok Sabha MPs and Rajya Sabha MPs will raise the voice of all citizens in Parliament."

Earlier, Surjewala took to Twitter and said: "Every Congress member must remember that each one of you is fighting for the Constitution, for every person in India irrespective of the colour of his skin or belief."

--IANS

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