Watch video: Congress workers gather near AICC headquarter in Delhi, voice support for Rahul Gandhi

Before the crucial meeting of Congress Working Committee (CWC) that took place today in AICC headquarters in Delhi in the evening over the grand old party's embarassing defeat at the recentlty concluded assembly polls, a number of party workers gathered in support of former party chief Rahul Gandhi near the headquarter.

A group led by Delhi Congress leaders, including Alka Lamba, voiced support for Rahul Gandhi to lead the party and raised slogans in his and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's favour.

The Congress workers from around Delhi, who converged near the party office, were not allowed to enter the AICC headquarter as the traffic was held up and the road outside the party office was barricaded by the police.

Notably, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot also said that the Gandhi family is important for the Congress' unity and Rahul Gandhi should become the party president.

Karnataka Congress president D K Shivakumar also backed the idea to make Gandhi the party chief. "As I have said it earlier as well, Sh. Rahul Gandhi should take up the Congress presidency in a full time role immediately. This is the wish of millions of Congress workers like me," he tweeted.

For the unversed, Rahul Gandhi had resigned as Congress president after the party suffered its second consecutive defeat in general elections in 2019. Sonia Gandhi, who took over the reins of the party again as interim president, had also offered to quit in August 2020 after strong criticism by a section of leaders, referred to as G-23, but the CWC had urged her to continue.

The G-23 dissident leaders, who have questioned the leadership and pressed for organisation overhaul, have indicated that the issues of internal polls could be raised again.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi, former party chief Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjuna Kharge, among others, were attending the meeting the party's highest decision-making body.

The Congress lost Punjab to the AAP and could not wrest any of the four other states - Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur - from the BJP.

(with agency inputs)