DHAKA: Rahul Gandhi, a leader of India's Congress party, is taking a leave of absence from parliament to focus on party work, an official said, setting off speculation of a long-awaited change in the party to revive its fortunes.

Gandhi, the presumed fourth-generation heir of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, has led the party to a series of electoral defeats since it was handed its worst drubbing in a national election last year at the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Gandhi, 44, wanted time to think, said a Congress official, who had served as a minister in the previous government. ‘Rahul Gandhi wants to take a short break. He wants to assess his role and the party’s future,’ said the senior party official, who declined to be identified.

Neither Gandhi nor any officials in his office were immediately available for comment. His mother, Sonia Gandhi, leader of Congress, told a television news channel that her son was on leave for a few days, the channel said in a Twitter post, reports The Straits Times.

BDST: 1828 HRS, FEB 23, 2015