After Congress Poll Debacle, Senior "Dissident" Leaders Meet

New Delhi: A day after Congress' latest poll defeats, "dissident" leaders met at senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad's home this evening. Former Union Ministers Kapil Sibal and Manish Tewari were seen arriving at Mr Azad's home in Delhi for the meeting. Anand Sharma was also expected to join the discussions, sources said. All four are part of the "G-23" or group of 23 "dissident" leaders who had written to party president Sonia Gandhi two years ago, calling for sweeping organisational changes and a "visible and full-time leadership" to tackle the Congress' unending run of election disasters. The Congress yesterday lost Punjab, one of the last big states it ruled, to Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The party also put up a weak show in states where it had hoped for a fighting chance at a comeback - Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur. In Uttar Pradesh, India's most politically vital state, the Congress failed to make any impact despite a high-voltage campaign led by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. The party's decimation has revived calls within the party for a leadership change, especially by members of the "G-23", who have been vocal in their criticism. One of these leaders, Shashi Tharoor, tweeted that change is unavoidable. "All of us who believe in Congress are hurting from the results of the recent assembly elections. It is time to reaffirm the idea of India that the Congress has stood for and the positive agenda it offers the nation. And to reform our organisational leadership in a manner that will reignite those ideas and inspire the people. One thing is clear - Change is unavoidable if we need to succeed," Mr Tharoor wrote.

New Delhi: A day after Congress' latest poll defeats, "dissident" leaders met at senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad's home this evening. Former Union Ministers Kapil Sibal and Manish Tewari were seen arriving at Mr Azad's home in Delhi for the meeting. Anand Sharma was also expected to join the discussions, sources said. All four are part of the "G-23" or group of 23 "dissident" leaders who had written to party president Sonia Gandhi two years ago, calling for sweeping organisational changes and a "visible and full-time leadership" to tackle the Congress' unending run of election disasters. The Congress yesterday lost Punjab, one of the last big states it ruled, to Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The party also put up a weak show in states where it had hoped for a fighting chance at a comeback - Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur. In Uttar Pradesh, India's most politically vital state, the Congress failed to make any impact despite a high-voltage campaign led by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. The party's decimation has revived calls within the party for a leadership change, especially by members of the "G-23", who have been vocal in their criticism. One of these leaders, Shashi Tharoor, tweeted that change is unavoidable. "All of us who believe in Congress are hurting from the results of the recent assembly elections. It is time to reaffirm the idea of India that the Congress has stood for and the positive agenda it offers the nation. And to reform our organisational leadership in a manner that will reignite those ideas and inspire the people. One thing is clear - Change is unavoidable if we need to succeed," Mr Tharoor wrote.New Delhi: A day after Congress' latest poll defeats, "dissident" leaders met at senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad's home this evening. Former Union Ministers Kapil Sibal and Manish Tewari were seen arriving at Mr Azad's home in Delhi for the meeting. Anand Sharma was also expected to join the discussions, sources said. All four are part of the "G-23" or group of 23 "dissident" leaders who had written to party president Sonia Gandhi two years ago, calling for sweeping organisational changes and a "visible and full-time leadership" to tackle the Congress' unending run of election disasters. The Congress yesterday lost Punjab, one of the last big states it ruled, to Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The party also put up a weak show in states where it had hoped for a fighting chance at a comeback - Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur. In Uttar Pradesh, India's most politically vital state, the Congress failed to make any impact despite a high-voltage campaign led by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. The party's decimation has revived calls within the party for a leadership change, especially by members of the "G-23", who have been vocal in their criticism. One of these leaders, Shashi Tharoor, tweeted that change is unavoidable. "All of us who believe in Congress are hurting from the results of the recent assembly elections. It is time to reaffirm the idea of India that the Congress has stood for and the positive agenda it offers the nation. And to reform our organisational leadership in a manner that will reignite those ideas and inspire the people. One thing is clear - Change is unavoidable if we need to succeed," Mr Tharoor wrote.New Delhi: A day after Congress' latest poll defeats, "dissident" leaders met at senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad's home this evening. Former Union Ministers Kapil Sibal and Manish Tewari were seen arriving at Mr Azad's home in Delhi for the meeting. Anand Sharma was also expected to join the discussions, sources said. All four are part of the "G-23" or group of 23 "dissident" leaders who had written to party president Sonia Gandhi two years ago, calling for sweeping organisational changes and a "visible and full-time leadership" to tackle the Congress' unending run of election disasters. The Congress yesterday lost Punjab, one of the last big states it ruled, to Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The party also put up a weak show in states where it had hoped for a fighting chance at a comeback - Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur. In Uttar Pradesh, India's most politically vital state, the Congress failed to make any impact despite a high-voltage campaign led by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. The party's decimation has revived calls within the party for a leadership change, especially by members of the "G-23", who have been vocal in their criticism. One of these leaders, Shashi Tharoor, tweeted that change is unavoidable. "All of us who believe in Congress are hurting from the results of the recent assembly elections. It is time to reaffirm the idea of India that the Congress has stood for and the positive agenda it offers the nation. And to reform our organisational leadership in a manner that will reignite those ideas and inspire the people. One thing is clear - Change is unavoidable if we need to succeed," Mr Tharoor wrote.New Delhi: A day after Congress' latest poll defeats, "dissident" leaders met at senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad's home this evening. Former Union Ministers Kapil Sibal and Manish Tewari were seen arriving at Mr Azad's home in Delhi for the meeting. Anand Sharma was also expected to join the discussions, sources said. All four are part of the "G-23" or group of 23 "dissident" leaders who had written to party president Sonia Gandhi two years ago, calling for sweeping organisational changes and a "visible and full-time leadership" to tackle the Congress' unending run of election disasters. The Congress yesterday lost Punjab, one of the last big states it ruled, to Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The party also put up a weak show in states where it had hoped for a fighting chance at a comeback - Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur. In Uttar Pradesh, India's most politically vital state, the Congress failed to make any impact despite a high-voltage campaign led by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. The party's decimation has revived calls within the party for a leadership change, especially by members of the "G-23", who have been vocal in their criticism. One of these leaders, Shashi Tharoor, tweeted that change is unavoidable. "All of us who believe in Congress are hurting from the results of the recent assembly elections. It is time to reaffirm the idea of India that the Congress has stood for and the positive agenda it offers the nation. And to reform our organisational leadership in a manner that will reignite those ideas and inspire the people. One thing is clear - Change is unavoidable if we need to succeed," Mr Tharoor wrote.New Delhi: A day after Congress' latest poll defeats, "dissident" leaders met at senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad's home this evening. Former Union Ministers Kapil Sibal and Manish Tewari were seen arriving at Mr Azad's home in Delhi for the meeting. Anand Sharma was also expected to join the discussions, sources said. All four are part of the "G-23" or group of 23 "dissident" leaders who had written to party president Sonia Gandhi two years ago, calling for sweeping organisational changes and a "visible and full-time leadership" to tackle the Congress' unending run of election disasters. The Congress yesterday lost Punjab, one of the last big states it ruled, to Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The party also put up a weak show in states where it had hoped for a fighting chance at a comeback - Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur. In Uttar Pradesh, India's most politically vital state, the Congress failed to make any impact despite a high-voltage campaign led by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. The party's decimation has revived calls within the party for a leadership change, especially by members of the "G-23", who have been vocal in their criticism. One of these leaders, Shashi Tharoor, tweeted that change is unavoidable. "All of us who believe in Congress are hurting from the results of the recent assembly elections. It is time to reaffirm the idea of India that the Congress has stood for and the positive agenda it offers the nation. And to reform our organisational leadership in a manner that will reignite those ideas and inspire the people. One thing is clear - Change is unavoidable if we need to succeed," Mr Tharoor wrote.New Delhi: A day after Congress' latest poll defeats, "dissident" leaders met at senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad's home this evening. Former Union Ministers Kapil Sibal and Manish Tewari were seen arriving at Mr Azad's home in Delhi for the meeting. Anand Sharma was also expected to join the discussions, sources said. All four are part of the "G-23" or group of 23 "dissident" leaders who had written to party president Sonia Gandhi two years ago, calling for sweeping organisational changes and a "visible and full-time leadership" to tackle the Congress' unending run of election disasters. The Congress yesterday lost Punjab, one of the last big states it ruled, to Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The party also put up a weak show in states where it had hoped for a fighting chance at a comeback - Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur. In Uttar Pradesh, India's most politically vital state, the Congress failed to make any impact despite a high-voltage campaign led by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. The party's decimation has revived calls within the party for a leadership change, especially by members of the "G-23", who have been vocal in their criticism. One of these leaders, Shashi Tharoor, tweeted that change is unavoidable. "All of us who believe in Congress are hurting from the results of the recent assembly elections. It is time to reaffirm the idea of India that the Congress has stood for and the positive agenda it offers the nation. And to reform our organisational leadership in a manner that will reignite those ideas and inspire the people. One thing is clear - Change is unavoid