Post the 2022 Assembly election results, two things became abundantly clear from the final scoreboard: first, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) proved that it remains a formidable force and second, the Congress party seems to be in a free fall.

To rectify this crisis, on Wednesday, 16 March, a group of 18 Congress leaders – a mix of G-23 dissidents and others – met at the senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad’s house. Here they decided that the grand old party needs a “collective, inclusive leadership.” They also demanded that the Congress needs to be proactive to create a platform with other “like-minded parties to take on the BJP in 2024.”


Before this, the Congress Working Committee, the party's top decision-making body, also held a meeting on 13 March. The five-hour-long meeting, however, reached the déjà vu conclusion of the party leadership consisting of Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra offering to step down from their respective roles and then the CWC unanimously refusing to accept their resignations and passing a resolution to let them continue.

The question of a Congress without a Gandhi at the helm has been compounding over the years, especially after the G-23 leaders stood up in 2020, demanding sweeping organisational change. But the question after every meeting has remained unanswered.

And the resounding rejection of the party in the recently concluded elections poses the next big question: where does the Congress go from here? Is a change in leadership the only answer to move ahead?

Joining me today to discuss this are political analysts and senior journalists Arati Jerath and Javed Ansari.

Host and Producer: Himmat ShaligramEditor: Shorbori Purkayastha
Music: Big Bang Fuzz
Listen to The Big Story podcast on:
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<div>Post the 2022 Assembly election results, two things became abundantly clear from the final scoreboard: first, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) proved that it remains a formidable force and second, the Congress party seems to be in a free fall.<br>
<br>

</div>
<div>To rectify this crisis, on Wednesday, 16 March, a group of 18 Congress leaders – a mix of G-23 dissidents and others – met at the senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad’s house. Here they decided that the grand old party needs a “collective, inclusive leadership.” They also demanded that the Congress needs to be proactive to create a platform with other “like-minded parties to take on the BJP in 2024.”<br>
<br>
Before this, the Congress Working Committee, the party's top decision-making body, also held a meeting on 13 March. The five-hour-long meeting, however, reached the déjà vu conclusion of the party leadership consisting of Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra offering to step down from their respective roles and then the CWC unanimously refusing to accept their resignations and passing a resolution to let them continue.<br>
<br>

</div>
<div>The question of a Congress without a Gandhi at the helm has been compounding over the years, especially after the G-23 leaders stood up in 2020, demanding sweeping organisational change. But the question after every meeting has remained unanswered.<br>
<br>

</div>
<div>And the resounding rejection of the party in the recently concluded elections poses the next big question: where does the Congress go from here? Is a change in leadership the only answer to move ahead?<br>
<br>

</div>
<div>Joining me today to discuss this are political analysts and senior journalists Arati Jerath and Javed Ansari.<br>
<br>
<strong>Host and Producer: </strong>Himmat Shaligram</div>
<div>
<strong>Editor:</strong> Shorbori Purkayastha</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>
<strong>Music:</strong> Big Bang Fuzz</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><strong>Listen to The Big Story podcast on:</strong></div>
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<div>Apple: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/redirect?q=https%3A%2F%2Fapple.co%2F2AYdLIl&amp;redir_token=G9sQMbbppKv-LEFD29gDyTmPMzt8MTU3MTM4MDU5NkAxNTcxMjk0MTk2&amp;v=xkpX1V6aUFo&amp;event=video_description">https://apple.co/2AYdLIl</a>
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<div>Saavn: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/redirect?q=http%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2F2oix78C&amp;redir_token=G9sQMbbppKv-LEFD29gDyTmPMzt8MTU3MTM4MDU5NkAxNTcxMjk0MTk2&amp;v=xkpX1V6aUFo&amp;event=video_description">http://bit.ly/2oix78C</a>
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<div>Spotify: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/redirect?q=https%3A%2F%2Fspoti.fi%2F2IyLAUQ&amp;redir_token=G9sQMbbppKv-LEFD29gDyTmPMzt8MTU3MTM4MDU5NkAxNTcxMjk0MTk2&amp;v=xkpX1V6aUFo&amp;event=video_description">https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ</a>
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<div>Deezer: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/redirect?q=http%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2F2Vrf5Ng&amp;redir_token=G9sQMbbppKv-LEFD29gDyTmPMzt8MTU3MTM4MDU5NkAxNTcxMjk0MTk2&amp;v=xkpX1V6aUFo&amp;event=video_description">http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng</a>
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<div>Castbox: <a href="http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur">http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur</a>
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The Big Story is back with a second season!

The news culture of our times is noisy, crowded, and honestly so confusing. This is why we are coming every fortnight on your podcast platforms to help you make sense of the new and now. 

With two new hosts, Anjali and Prateek, the second season of The Big Story will feature longer and well-rounded discussions with experts across science, culture, technology, politics, and more. Tune in on your preferred podcast platform!   



Millions of listeners seek out Bingepods (Ideabrew Studios Network content) every day. Get in touch with us to advertise, join the network or click listen to  enjoy content by some of India's top audio creators.
studio@ideabrews.com

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<p>The Big Story is back with a second season!</p>
<p>The news culture of our times is noisy, crowded, and honestly so confusing. This is why we are coming every fortnight on your podcast platforms to help you make sense of the new and now. <br aria-hidden="true"><br aria-hidden="true">With two new hosts, Anjali and Prateek, the second season of The Big Story will feature longer and well-rounded discussions with experts across science, culture, technology, politics, and more. Tune in on your preferred podcast platform!   </p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Millions of listeners seek out <a href="https://bingepods.com/">Bingepods</a> (Ideabrew Studios Network content) every day. Get in touch with us to advertise, join the network or click listen to  enjoy content by some of India's top audio creators.</em><br><em><a href="mailto:studio@ideabrews.com">studio@ideabrews.com</a></em></p>
<p><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bingepods.app">Android</a> | <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bingepods/id1637568609">Apple</a></p>

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