Rahul Gandhi chairs first meeting of Congress Steering Committee

Rahul Gandhi had dissolved the Central Working Committee (CWC) and formed a 34-member Steering Committee to work in its place till a new CWC was set up.

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Saturday chaired the first meeting of the party’s Steering Committee, formed after dissolving the Central Working Committee (CWC), to finalise the schedule of plenary session.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi with former Congress President Sonia Gandhi arrive to preside over the Congress Steering Committee Meeting at AICC in New Delhi. (Mohd Zakir / HT Photo)

Chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party Sonia Gandhi, former prime minister Manmohan Singh, besides other leaders like AK Antony, Ahmed Patel, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Mallikarjun Kharge attended the meeting.

Gandhi had dissolved the CWC and formed a 34-member Steering Committee to work in its place till a new CWC was set up.

The party’s plenary session, to be attended by all AICC delegates who elected the new Congress chief, is likely to be held before March 5 when the second part of Budget Session of Parliament starts.

While all past CWC members are part of the new committee, some permanent invitees like Amarinder Singh, Vilas Muttemwar, RK Dhawan, Shivajirao Deshmukh, MV Rajasekharan and Mohsina Kidwai, and all special invitees have been dropped from the new panel.

The new members of the CWC will be elected either at the plenary or after it.