Rahul may quit as Cong VP on Monday

A day after the Congress recorded its worst electoral performance, party leaders in the capital preferred to stay at home as the Bharatiya Janata Party's prime minister-in-waiting Narendra Modi went on a victory lap in the city.

For a party facing an existential crisis, Monday's Congress Working Committee meeting called to take stock of the situation, is the need of the hour. Only after the Congress Working Committee meeting will the party's 44 new members of Parliament (MPs) be called to the capital.

Speculation is Rahul Gandhi could offer his resignation as Congress vice-president at Monday's meeting, with some sections speculating party president Sonia Gandhi, too, could offer to resign. There are angry voices within the party against Rahul Gandhi and his coterie, which had taken charge of the 2014 general elections and delivered a rout. There is no widespread ill-will against his mother, though. A clear sign visible since yesterday's results is the resurgence of senior Congress leaders aligned to Sonia Gandhi who were sidelined after her son took over the day-to-day functioning of the party. Senior leaders are likely to speak out at the Congress Working Committee meeting on several issues, including faulty ticket distribution and prominent roles for non-political faces.

Fingers have been pointed at the Gandhi scion in the past--after the Congress rout in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections and poor showing in four states last December. "If we do not take drastic action now, the Congress is sure to be wiped out as a political force," a party leader said.