New Delhi, March 17 (UNI) Punjab Congress poll In-charge Harish Choudhary and Screening Committee chief Ajay Maken came under attack from party Punjab MPs on Wednesday as Party President Sonia Gandhi held a meeting with them to analyse their defeat in the state. Days after facing an embarrassing defeat in Punjab, where it was in power, the Congress president met MPs and asked them their analysis of the party's rout in the state.

The meeting also came on a day when Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu tendered his resignation after being asked by the party president. Sidhu submitted a single line resignation letter, which said "I hereby resign as President PPCC". According to sources, a party leader accused Chaudhury and Maken of allegedly taking bribes for giving tickets in the state. Congress MP from Khadoor Sahib in Punjab, Jasbir Gill had accused both Maken and Choudhary of taking money for tickets soon after the poll results came. "Harish Chowdhary & Ajay Maken has to give lot of explanation for rout of Congress in Punjab. 3 months before Punjab was sure win but after entry of these two in Punjab for ticket distribution have ruined party in state. They pocketed notes, Opposition pocketed votes," Gill had said in a tweet on March 10. The meeting was attended by MPs from Punjab, including Manish Tewari, Ravneet Bittu, Pratap Bajwa and Jasbir Gill, along with others.

Party leaders also blamed the rift between party leaders for the poll rout. A senior party leader blamed the committee headed by Mallikarjun Kharge, which recommended removing Amarinder Singh as the chief minister. The meeting lasted for over an hour. It comes as the party is analysing the poll defeat in five states. On Tuesday, party General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi held a meeting with Uttar Pradesh Congress leaders to analyse the results. The state Congress chiefs of all five states which went to polls have resigned after being asked to do so by Sonia Gandhi. In Punjab, Congress had over 38 per cent vote share in 2017 Assembly polls, while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which made its debut in the state that year, got around 23 per cent vote share and 20 seats. As the results came out on Thursday, Congress got around 22 per cent votes, while AAP doubled its share polling over 40 per cent votes. Ahead of the polls, Congress had made former chief minister Amarinder Singh resign from his post after an internal survey. The decision had come after months of war of words between Singh and Punjab Congress Chief Navjot Singh Sidhu. A miffed Singh said he felt 'humiliated' and resigned from the party. Singh founded his own party, Punjab Lok Congress, but lost his stronghold Patiala Urban seat to Ajit Pal Singh Kohli of AAP. Charanjit Singh Channi, who was made the chief minister replacing Singh, and also announced as the CM face in the polls, lost from both Chamkaur Sahib and Bhadaur. Even after Channi was made the Chief Minister, Sidhu's attack on the party continued, and he had given his resignation to party president Sonia Gandhi, which he later withdrew.