Aditi Tandon
New Delhi, September 24
Former UN diplomat and member of the Congress’ pro-reform G23 group Shashi Tharoor on Saturday declared his bid for the upcoming party presidential elections by becoming the first leader to get the nomination forms collected from the office of the AICC central election committee.
With this, the much expected high-stakes battle between Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot and Tharoor for the top party post became official.
Tharoor’s aide, Aalim Javeri, collected the forms from election authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry today, with the former Minister of State for External Affairs under the UPA-I government expected to file his papers on September 30, the last date for submission of nomination forms.
With the election process commencing, the Congress is geared up for its first non-Gandhi president in more than two decades after Rahul Gandhi opted out of the race and clarified that none of the Gandhis would run for the top post. Rahul had taken the same position in August 2019 while tendering his resignation in the wake of the party’s electoral debacle in 2019 General Election.
Meanwhile, buzz is growing that Gehlot might have veterans rallying behind him amid indications that he is favoured by the Gandhis even though the family has officially maintained it would stay neutral in the contest.
Rajasthan CLP meet today
A meeting of the Rajasthan CLP was called on Sunday. Sonia Gandhi appointed Mallikarjun Kharge and Ajay Maken as observers, signalling Ashok Gehlot’s replacement before he files nomination for Congress president poll.
