Crucial CWC meeting ends

The crucial meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), to elect the new party chief, ended here on Saturday afternoon.

Coming out of the meeting, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi told reporters she and Rahul Gandhi are not a part of the five regionwise groups formed in the CWC to elect the new party chief.

"Rahul and I cannot participate in the election of the new party chief. Putting our names is not good," she told reporters.

Outgoing Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said: "I am going to Wayanad tomorrow for two days as the condition is very disturbing there."

The meeting to elect the new chief began at 11 a.m. It is being attended by Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, former prime minister Manmohan Singh and senior party leaders Anand Sharma, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Sachin Pilot, Ahmed Patel, P. Chidambaram and others.

The CWC has been divided into five region-wise groups to hold talks with the state in-charges, state chiefs, AICC department chairman, party MPs and build a consensus on the name of the new party chief.

The name will be finalised on Sunday, after all the five groups have submitted their recommendations, said a senior party leader.