Jyotiraditya Scindia, Milind Deora quit amid Congress leadership turmoil

The party's top leadership, which is now looking for a replacement for Gandhi, will have a new team once the new Congress chief is appointed and some more resignations are likely to pour in till then. 

The spate of resignations within the Congress continued on Sunday with Rahul Gandhi loyalists Jyotiraditya Scindia and Milind Deora resigning their posts in the party, weeks after the Lok Sabha poll debacle.

While Scindia resigned as All India Congress Committee general secretary for Western Uttar Pradesh, Deora resigned as Mumbai Congress chief; both took moral responsibility for the party's poor electoral show in their respective areas.

"Accepting the people's verdict and taking accountability, I had submitted my resignation as General Secretary of AICC to Shri Rahul Gandhi.

"I thank him for entrusting me with this responsibility and for giving me the opportunity to serve our party," Scindia tweeted.

Deora said he is looking forward to play a role at the national level to help stabilise the party.

He recommended setting up of a provisional collective leadership comprising three senior Congress leaders to oversee the party's city unit till the Maharashtra assembly polls, due later this year.

"We all will have to get ready for roles that these times demand," he said, adding political realities have changed since the Lok Sabha poll results were declared on May 23.

Taking on the BJP-Shiv Sena and negating the impact of the 'Vanchit Aghadi' is a challenge for the Congress in Maharashtra, a statement issued by Deora's office on Sunday said.

Deora had expressed his desire to quit after meeting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on June 26.

"The same has been conveyed to All India Congress Committee general secretaries Mallikarjun Kharge and K C Venugopal," the statement said.

Deora was appointed president of the Mumbai Congress before the Lok Sabha polls and he had replaced Sanjay Nirupam.

"I had accepted MRCC presidentship in the interest of uniting the party. I felt I should also resign after meeting Rahul Gandhi," he said.

Gandhi quit as Congress president and informed about it via Twitter on Wednesday, but the Congress Working Committee, the highest decision-making body of the party, is yet to decide his successor.

"I have suggested a three-member panel (to oversee the city party unit) and I am being consulted by leaders to identify names. I look forward to play a national role to help stabilise the party. Needless to say, I will continue to guide and unite the Mumbai Congress," Deora said.

Deora unsuccessfully contested Lok Sabha election from Mumbai-South constituency, but lost to Shiv Sena's Arvind Sawant.

Taking a dig at Deora's resignation, Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam said that the resignation is being used as "a ladder to climb up."

"A resignation is done when someone wants to reject something. But here a moment later, a national level position is being sought. Is this a resignation or a ladder to climb up? The party should be cautious with such 'hard-working' people," tweeted Nirupam.

Nirupam dubbed his proposal to appoint a three-member committee to lead the state unit of the party as 'inappropriate.'

"The idea to appoint 3 member committee to run Mumbai Congress in place of President is not at all appropriate. It will ruin the party further," he tweeted.

Indian Youth Congress president Keshav Chand Yadav too had resigned on Saturday, taking moral responsibility for the poor electoral show.

A number of middle-rung leaders have resigned their posts in the Congress, but top leaders have refrained from quitting after Gandhi quit as Congress president.

The party's top leadership, which is now looking for a replacement for Gandhi, will have a new team once the new Congress chief is appointed and some more resignations are likely to pour in till then.

With inputs from ANI