Sources in the party said that Rahul has made up his mind and would not consider the repeated pleas of continuing at the helm.

Meanwhile, the old guard is back in action and working on various options to sail through the turbulent times. Among them is appointing 91-year-old Motilal Vora or former prime Minister Manmohan Singh as interim President.

Gandhi family loyals Ahmed Patel and Motilal Vora are learnt to be working directly in conjunction with Sonia Gandhi, former Party President and chairperson of Congress-led United Progressive Alliance, to prepare the future roadmap.

Party insiders said the interim President would work with a presidium comprising younger party leaders such as Ashok Chavan, Gaurav Gogoi, Deepender Hooda, Sachin Pilot, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Sushmita Deb.

The Congress party is grappling with the massive drubbing in the just-concluded general election. The party could win only 52 seats while Narendra Modi-led BJP trumped all its strategies crossing 300-mark.

Following the election results, the party has been imploding with many state party chiefs offering to resign from their post owning up moral responsibility for the defeat.