Outgoing Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday asked the grand old party to decide on the next chief without any further delay, adding he was nowhere involved in the nomination process of his successor.??

"Congress must radically transform itself. It is the party's duty to defend people's voices that BJP is crushing," he said

Sharing a statement on Twitter, Gandhi said, "It is an honour for me to serve the Congress Party, whose values and ideals have served as the lifeblood of our beautiful nation.

"I owe the country and my organisation a debt of tremendous gratitude and love," he said.?

Taking responsibility for Congress' defeat in the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls, he said, "As President of the Congress Party, I am responsible for the loss of the 2019 elections. Accountability is critical for the future growth of our party. It is for this reason that I have resigned as Congress President.

"I have already submitted my resignation and I am no longer the party president. CWC should convene a meeting at the earliest and decide," ANI had earlier quoted him as saying.?

The Wayanad MP, who became the Congress president in 2017, offered to step down from his post at the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting on May 25, taking moral responsibility for the Congress' abysmal performance in the 17th Lok Sabha Elections.

However, his resignation was unanimously rejected by the CWC. So far, several top leaders have met Gandhi and urged him to continue to lead the party.

Despite senior members making serious attempts to convince the 49-year-old to rethink his decision, he has refused to budge.

The Congress won 52 seats in the recent general elections, eight more than what the party had won in 2014 polls.

Supporters sat on a strike outside party headquarters on Tuesday, urging Gandhi to rescind his resignation.

(With inputs from ANI)