New Delhi: Speculation is ripe in the political circle regarding the resignation of Gandhis owing moral responsibility for debacle of the party in just concluded five states Assembly elections.

The Congress Working Committee will meet today to introspect the party’s debacle in the elections. Meanwhile, Congress has refuted the reports of the resignation of Gandhi family members to the organizational post.

But pressure is intensified within the Congress for a complete revamp of the party including a structural change at the top. Already G-23 leaders have openly stated that change in party organizational structure is investable.

Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi will chair the meeting of the party’s top decision-making body here on today at 4 pm.

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Congress has miserably lost in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Goa and Manipur. Except for Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, Congress was a bright chance to come back to power in Goa, Manipur and Uttarakhand.

At present, at the party’s organizational level, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi taking decisions. Their unilateral decision of unceremonious removal of Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh in 2021 was widely criticized within the party.

Despite her high-pitched campaign in Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Vadra, the Congress could manage to win only two of the 403 assembly seats with the vote share plummeting to a meager 2.33 percent and most of its candidates losing security deposits.

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 an open revolt by a section of leaders, referred to as G-23, but the CWC had urged her to continue.

Many leaders in the party said that in the CWC meeting as ‘ resignation” thing will come, Sonia Gandhi is likely to offer a resignation, but CWC members which considered as a coterie of Gandhi family will oppose for her resignation and will urge her continue in the post.

However some dissent voice cannot be ruled out in the CWC meeting, especially from the  G-23 dissident leaders, who have questioned the leadership and pressed for organisation overhaul, have indicated that these issues will be raised again.

Congress senior leaders Kapil Sibal, Anand Sharma, Gulam Nabi Azad, Manish Tiwari, Shashi Taroor and others pressed for structural change in the organization.

The G-23 leaders had suggested corrective measures after the previous round of assembly polls, when the Congress lost Puducherry and failed to make a mark in Kerala, Assam and West Bengal, but there had been little movement on that front.

These leaders had met on Friday evening at the residence of senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad to evolve their strategy ahead of the crucial CWC meeting, Business Standard reported.

Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury conceded the Congress lost due to organisational weakness but said there was no need for a change in the party leadership.

"There is an organisational weakness in our party and that is the reason we have lost," Chowdhury told PTI.

"Who will be the next leader? If a change in leadership is meant to remove Rahul Gandhi or Priyanka Gandhi, then one has to ask who will replace them. Both Rahul and Priyanka have been trying wholeheartedly, there is no doubt about their effort," he said.

Party spokesman Randeep Surjewala dismissed as "wrong and mischievous" reports claiming that the Gandhi family members will resign from all party positions, thus ruling out any major tectonic shift in the party.

Noted historian and political analyst Ramchandra Guha has said that Gandhis must "retire from politics" immediately for the good of the party and democracy in the country as they are unable to revive the Congress.