Rae Bareli or Wayanad? Rahul Gandhi to decide soon which Lok Sabha seat to retain

The Congress' top leadership on Saturday had crucial deliberations on the Lok Sabha election results to chalk out its future strategy at a meeting of the party's working committee. The extended meeting of the party's top decision-making body -- the Congress Working Committee (CWC). The Congress has emerged as the second-largest party in the Lok Sabha, improving its tally to 99 from 52 in the 2019 elections.

Rahul Gandhi won both the Wayanad and Rae Bareli seats in the elections and will have to decide within 14 days which seat he will hold and which he will vacate. He will have to make a decision before the oath-taking ceremony, likely to take place next week.

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

After the party's CWC meeting, Congress leader KC Venugopal on being asked which seat (Rae Bareli or Wayanad) will Rahul Gandhi keep, he said, "This decision has to be taken before 17 June and it will come in 3-4 days."