Sonia Gandhi’s resignation, polls for new chief may figure in Congress meet today

The crucial Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting on Monday will discuss the leadership issue in the context of 23 party leaders, including Kapil Sibal, Shashi Tharoor, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Prithviraj Chavan, Vivek Tankha and Anand Sharma, seeking an overhaul of the organisation and interim chief Sonia Gandhi (73) unwilling to continue and having asked the party to elect a new president.

A look at the likely scenarios:

• Gandhi refuses to continue as the party's interim chief, asks CWC to elect a new president

• The CWC requests Rahul Gandhi to lead the party. He refuses and asks the leaders to find a non-Gandhi as the Congress president

• Rahul accepts the demand and takes back his resignation, but seeks a free hand in overhauling the organisation, including dissolution of the CWC

• Rahul refuses and the CWC requests Gandhi to stay on until a new president is elected. Also forms a parliamentary board for the day-to-day functioning of the party, as per the demands of leaders, who wrote to Gandhi seeking an overhaul of the organisation

• Both Gandhi and Rahul refuse and the CWC authorises the senior-most general secretary to officiate as the interim president until internal elections are held and a new chief is elected

• Outpouring of support for the Gandhis from many party leaders and those who wrote letters are silenced. Gandhi agrees to stay on as the Congress chief