Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], October 6 (ANI): Congress MP and a candidate for the party’s presidential election Shashi Tharoor on Thursday said that he is very happy to have the support of young people in the party and urged everyone to join them him in making a “rejuvenated Congress“, to lead young India. “I am very happy to have the support of young people in the party…I am not turning away any support be it young or old. We need everyone to join us in this adventure of making a rejuvenated Congress to lead young India,” said the Congress leader.

Tharoor is currently campaigning for the upcoming presidential polls of the party in which he is up against the veteran leader Mallikarjun Kharge. Earlier on Monday, Tharoor had said that with two consecutive losses in the Lok Sabha elections, there is a need for a “renewed and reinvigorated” party to take on the challenge of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party at the Centre. “This election is about how Congress should be best equipped to take on the ruling govt today, which is BJP. We have lost two elections… We need a renewed, reinvigorated Congress party where it is mobilized effectively to take on this challenge,” Tharoor said while speaking to the media.

He denied the existence of the G-23 group within the Congress (which wrote to Sonia Gandhi seeking reforms in the party), and said that it was a “media idea”. “There is no G-23 group. There never was, it was a media idea. As far as I can tell you, a couple of seniors wrote the letter. They invited a large number of people to support them. They told me that by phone they have contacted over a hundred people who have extended support. There was COVID lockdown in 2020. Only 23 people were available in Delhi to sign it at that time,” he said.

The election for the Congress president will be held on October 17 and the results will be declared on October 19. The Gandhis are not running for the top post, the party is all set to get a non-Gandhi president after over 25 years.

Congress president poll: Shashi Tharoor welcomes guidelines asking candidates to ensure “no mala-fide campaign”

Congress presidential candidate Shashi Tharoor on Monday welcomed guidelines laid down by the party’s Chief Election Authority asking the contestors to take “utmost care” to ensure “no mala-fide campaign” against the two competitors as it would bring “disgrace to the party”. The series of guidelines stated by Congress’ Central Election Authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry for the party’s internal polls scheduled to be held on October 17, said, “Utmost care must be taken to ensure that there is no mala-fide campaign against any candidate. The same would bring disgrace to the party. The sensitivity of the election process must be upheld at any cost.”

Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor are up against each other in the polls. It was also stated that no leader of the party holding an organisational post can participate in the campaign process of the elections. It asked the party leaders to tender their resignations first “if they wish to support any candidate”. “Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor are contesting the election of Congress President in their personal capacity. Therefore, delegates are free to elect any one of them, as per their choice, through ballot paper. AICC general secretaries/ in-charges, secretaries/ Jt secretaries, Pradesh Congress Committees (PCC) presidents, Congress Legislative Party leaders, heads of frontal org., chiefs of depts./cells and all official spokesperson shall not campaign for or against contesting candidates. If they wish to support any candidate they must first resign from their organizational post, after that they participate in the Campaign process,” stated the guidelines.

Issuing a clarification over the guideline, Tharoor said that he resigned as the head of the All India Professionals’ Congress last month. “For those asking: I have already submitted my letter of resignation as head of All India Professionals’ Congress to the Congress President last month,” Tharoor tweeted.
The guidelines also prohibited the candidates from using vehicles to bring the voters or resorting to any “undesired pamphleteering or any other kind of publication propaganda” during the elections.
“Controverters of these procedures shall render the candidatures election invalid and make them liable for disciplinary action,” it stated.

The party’s Chief Election Authority also made the Pradesh Returning Officer (PRO) as the polling officers of the respective Pradesh Congress Committees (PCCs). “Pradesh Returning Officer (PRO) will be the Polling Officer of their respective PCCs. He/ She shall be responsible for keeping order at the polling stations and to see that the election is fairly conducted,” said the guideline.

“All PCC Presidents shall extend courtesy to the candidates during their visits to the respective states,” it added.

Kharge reaches Ahmedabad to start campaign for Congress presidential elections

Ahemdabad (Gujarat) [India], October 7 (ANI): Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge reached Ahmedabad on Thursday to start his campaign for the Congress presidential elections from today from Gujarat.
He will visit Sabarmati Ashram and the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) office of Gujarat Congress in Ahmedabad tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Gehlot had on Thursday said he is pulling out of the contest after he met with Sonia Gandhi and apologised to her for the ruckus in Rajasthan triggered by his loyalists over a possible leadership change in the state after Gehlot was set to file his nomination papers for the Congress chief polls.
Nominations for the post of Congress president closed on September 30 and results will be declared on October 19. With Gandhis not running for the top post this time around, the grand old party is all set to get a non-Gandhi president after over 25 years. (ANI)