State Congress units continued to mount pressure on Rahul Gandhi to withdraw his resignation as party chief even as the top leadership worked on creating a new structure to manage the organisation should he quit.

While a consensus on an alternative seems impossible, the idea will gain acceptability only if it is projected as Rahul’s wish. The plan will have to be presented as a restructuring of the institutional set-up in which the party president looks after the nitty gritty of the organisation under the supreme leader that Rahul indisputably is.

Even those leaders who are fighting for Rahul’s continuance have reconciled to the possibility of his exit as party president. But they are determined to send out a message that party workers stand firmly behind him and don’t hold him responsible for the Lok Sabha election debacle.

The crisis, ironically, is also an affirmation of Rahul’s supremacy and a way of messaging by the workers that no alternative arrangement should dream of working at cross-purposes with the Gandhi family.

Congress leaders are not blind to the fallout of the problems playing out in public and fear that this could crate a perception that the party is incapable of dealing with its crisis with maturity.

Hundreds of Delhi Congress workers, led by state unit chief Sheila Dikshit, held a demonstration in front of Rahul’s 12, Tughlaq Lane residence on Wednesday to urge him to withdraw his offer to quit.

Rahul has not met anyone other than family members since announcing the decision to step down.

Some senior leaders privately argue that the perception of a “sulking leader” is gaining strength because of reports that Rahul is not meeting anybody.

Rahul, many leaders feel, should start holding meetings at the earliest.

Leaders are saying that he is serious about relinquishing the post but, at the same time, are lamenting the uncertainty.

It is unclear who is planning the protests in states against Rahul’s decision as there is no central directive for such a response.

There was a lot of slogan-shouting in front of Rahul’s home on Wednesday. After that, Dikshit, a three-time chief minister of Delhi, said Rahul had refused to meet her.

“I have given him the message that he should not resign. We want him to continue in his post, otherwise it will cause us pain. We have conveyed that to him,” she said.

Protests were also organised by state Congress units in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The Rajasthan Congress met to pass a resolution seeking the continuance of Rahul as party chief.

The Gujarat unit has been running a social media campaign explaining why Rahul’s leadership is essential to protect democracy and the politics of unity and no-violence.

The central social media wing is in a state of paralysis; even the communications department appears to be in suspension.

Rahul tweeted in the evening: “Congratulations to Naveen Patnaikji on being sworn in as Chief Minister of Odisha for a record 5th term. This is indeed an incredible achievement. My best wishes to him and to the people of Odisha.”