Congress General Secretary Jyotiraditya Scindia on Thursday said the party will have to look for a new president immediately as seven weeks have already passed since Rahul Gandhi quit the post.

He said the Congress never anticipated that Rahul Gandhi would resign from the post of party chief.

“This is a serious time for Congress. We thought we would be able to persuade him (to reconsider his decision). But when Rahulji takes any decision, he is firm on it,” Scindia was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

“The Congress will have to look for its new president. Seven weeks have passed. There should not be a delay in it and a person who can infuse fresh energy in the Congress under the leadership of Soniaji and Rahulji should be given an opportunity,” he added.

“The CWC members and other senior leaders will have to sit together to take a decision on the new Congress president. This is the first time we are facing such a situation,” Scindia said.

Although Rahul Gandhi had offered his resignation at a Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting on May 25, it was not accepted and the decision-making body asked him to overhaul the organisation.

However, Gandhi on July 3 went public with a formal assertion that he has resigned as the Congress president, taking responsibility for the party’s decimation in the recent Lok Sabha elections.

“As president of the Congress party, I am responsible for the loss of the 2019 election. Accountability is critical for the future growth of our party. It is for this reason that I have resigned as Congress president,” Gandhi said in a four-page open letter posted on his social media accounts.

Stung by the political crisis in Karnataka and Goa, the Congress has rushed Scindia to Madhya Pradesh to stem any such crisis in the state.

Scindia arrived in Bhopal on Thursday afternoon and held discussions with Chief Minister Kamal Nath over lunch at his residence.

Jyotiraditya Scindia had earlier this month tendered his resignation days after Rahul Gandhi stepped down as Congress President.

Scindia, who was made the western Uttar Pradesh in-charge ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, had tweeted: “Accepting the people’s verdict and taking accountability, I have submitted my resignation as General Secretary of AICC (All India Congress Committee) to Rahul Gandhi. I thank him for entrusting me with this responsibility and for giving me the opportunity to serve our party.”