The question whether Rahul Gandhi will be the Congress's leader in parliament remained unanswered today as the meeting of the party's lawmakers ended soon after choosing Sonia Gandhi as its chairperson. Acceptance of the post by Rahul Gandhi will be seen an indication of a possible rethink on his decision to quit the top post of the party, over which there has been an impasse since last week.

Mr Gandhi has refused to reverse his decision despite repeated appeals from the Congress and has refused to meet the leaders who flocked to his home to press the issue.

Sonia Gandhi has been chosen the chairperson of the Congress's elected parliamentarians at the meeting of the party's parliamentary committee this morning. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh proposed her name. The suspense is now over whom the chairperson names as the leader of the party in parliament - her son Rahul Gandhi, who wants to step down as the party chief, or another member.

The Congress is three members short of the figure that would qualify it for the post of the Leader of the Opposition. The rout in the recently held Lok Sabha elections has left the party with 52 lawmakers - marginally higher than the figure of 44 in 2014.

The position of the Leader of the Congress was occupied by party veteran Mallikarjun Kharge in the last Lok Sabha. Mr Kharge, however, lost the election from Karnataka's Gulbarga -- the first electoral loss for the nine-time legislator and two-term Lok Sabha member.