Sonia Gandhi re-elected CPP chief, Rahul Gandhi urged to take LoP mantle

He would take a decision on it very soon, says Congress leader KC Venugopal

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Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi was unanimously re-elected as the chairperson of the Congress parliamentary party on Saturday, its leaders said.

At a meeting of party MPs, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge proposed Sonia Gandhi's name as the chairperson of the parliamentary party. The proposal was seconded by Gaurav Gogoi, K Sudhakaran and Tariq Anwar.

Gandhi, 77, was elected to the Rajya Sabha in February.

Earlier in the day, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) unanimously urged Rahul Gandhi to take on the mantle of the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and he told the party's top brass that he will take a decision on it "very soon".

At a press conference following the a meeting of the extended CWC, party general secretary KC Venugopal said CWC members unanimously requested Gandhi to take the Leader of Opposition role.

"Rahul Gandhi said he would take a decision on it very soon," Venugopal said.

This will be the first time that the Congress, since its ouster from power in 2014, will get the post of Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.