New Delhi [India], September 19 (ANI): Ashok Gehlot, who is considered to be close to the Gandhi family, and Shashi Tharoor, who got the nod for the Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi, have emerged as top probable contenders for the office of the party chief in case Rahul Gandhi decides not to enter the fray.
Amid speculation that Ashok Gehlot could be running for the party president, the election for which is set to take place next month, sources close to the Rajasthan Chief Minister said that he is “trying to persuade Rahul Gandhi” to contest rather than his own nomination.
This comes amid buzz of Gehlot being a leading choice for the party’s president post in the election scheduled to be held on October 17, the result of which will be declared on October 19. The speculation gained traction after Gehlot met Sonia Gandhi at her residence in the national capital a few weeks ago, in which, according to the sources, the Congress interim president had asked him to be prepared for the poll to decided the party chief.
“Ashok Gehlot says that rather than thinking of running for Congress President he is trying to persuade Rahul Gandhi to do so. He remains a loyal soldier of Sonia and Rahul Gandhi,” the sources said. However, Gehlot has maintained distance from any such reports by refraining from making comments when asked whether the election would have a long-term impact on his politics in Rajasthan. Many believe that Gehlot is backed by the top leadership to run for the post.
Notably, Shashi Tharoor is a candidate of the G-23 group within the party to contest for the poll. He garners the support of several MPs as along with him, five other MPs had written a letter to Congress central election authority chairman, Madhusudhan Mistry demanding that electoral roles should be made available to all. However, Mistry had responded by stating that it will not be made public, but anybody who is willing to contest can access the electoral role from his office from September 20.
In the absence of a member of the Gandhi family in the prez poll, Gehlot and Tharoor are the probable candidates to run for the poll. Earlier this evening, sources said that Tharoor has got the nod from Sonia Gandhi to contest the polls after he met her in Delhi. The nomination for the poll will start on September 24 and will conclude on September 30.
After the refusal of the Gandhi family to enter the race for the post of president, Gehlot and leaders like Mukul Wasnik, K C Venugopal, Kumari Selja, Malikarjun Kharge, Bhupesh Baghel are being considered possible choices. The Congress party has completed the internal election process by August 20. The party had announced that the election for the post of president will be held between August 21 and September 20. However, Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi has still not cleared his stance on whether he would contest or who his choice would be. (ANI)
Himachal Congress adopts resolution authorising Sonia Gandhi to appoint office-bearers, AICC members
Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], September 19 (ANI): Himachal Pradesh Congress on Monday adopted a unanimous resolution authorizing party chief Sonia Gandhi to nominate the new state Congress chief and AICC members. The resolution was adopted at a meeting of the state Congress here. The proposal was made by Himachal Pradesh Congress chief Pratibha Singh.
The resolution authorized Sonia Gandhi to make appointments to the Pradesh Congress Committee and AICC members. Interestingly, the resolution has come at a time Congress is going through a process of organizational elections and a contest could take place for the post of Congress chief. The notification for elections of Congress chief is slated to be issued on September 22 and candidates can file their nomination between September 24 and 30.
The Congress central election authority has allowed Pradesh Congress Committees to adopt resolutions authorizing the new Congress president to appoint the party’s state unit chiefs and nominate All India Congress Committee (AICC) members. “We passed a resolution today in the presence of all our delegates that we leave it to Sonia Gandhiji that whomever she nominates will be acceptable to all of us and everyone has extended their support in this,” Pratibha Singh said.
“That would be in the interest of the party. For this, we called a meeting today. Our APRO has also come here from Delhi to attend this meeting,” Singh added.
Former Congress state president Kuldeep Rathore also said that Rahul Gandhi is the “only suitable” person to lead the Congress party in the present circumstances. The proposal was supported among others by the chief of the Congress Campaign Committee Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu and Leader of Opposition Mukesh Agnihotri. (ANI)
