Key Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting today; Rahul, Sonia Gandhi to discuss leadership roles

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh announced an extended Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting to be held on Saturday, June 8, at 11:00 am. Alongside the CWC gathering, the party will convene a meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party, comprising all newly elected Lok Sabha MPs and Rajya Sabha MPs, at 5:30 pm in the Central Hall of Parliament, followed by a dinner at Hotel Ashok at 7:00 pm.

This meeting follows the BJP's failure to secure the 272-seat majority needed to form a government independently, shifting the power dynamics towards the allies rather than a centralized BJP-led government as seen in 2014 and 2019.

Chandrababu Naidu's TDP and Nitish Kumar's JDU, winning 16 and 12 seats respectively in their states, have extended support to the NDA.

The main opposition Congress has shown significant growth, securing 99 seats compared to 52 in 2019. Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi held discussions with state party leaders and workers in Bengaluru on Friday, June 7.

During the meeting, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar advocated for Rahul Gandhi as the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament.

"We want Rahul Gandhi as the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament. Rahul Gandhi emphasized the importance of winning over the hearts of people who didn't vote for us," stated Shivakumar.

In the Karnataka Lok Sabha polls, the Congress secured nine seats with a vote share of 45.43%. According to the Election Commission of India, the BJP's seat count reduced to 240, down from 303 in 2019. Despite this, the Congress displayed significant improvement, winning 99 seats. The I.N.D.I.A bloc, surpassing the 230-mark, presented formidable competition, defying initial predictions.