Earlier, both Digvijaya Singh and Ashok Gehlot stated that they have dropped out of the race.
Earlier, both Digvijaya Singh and Ashok Gehlot stated that they have dropped out of the race.
Senior Congress leader and MP Shashi Tharoor on September 30, 2022 filed his nomination for the post of party president at the office of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in New Delhi.
Ahead of filing his nomination, Mr. Tharoor visited Raj Ghat to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi.
Meanwhile, Mr. Tharoor will be addressing press conference at his residence. “I have already submitted five nomination forms with signatures of 10 delegates each. And in the process of submitting a sixth form” Among Kerala MPs only MK Raghavan has signed on his nomination form.
Asked about Mr Sharma, Mr Chavan and Mr Digvijaya Singh being in Mr Kharge’s nomination, Mr. Tharoor says, ”This tells you a story”. He adds that if the delegates want status quoist, then they must vote for Mr Kharge and if they want to vote for reforms, they must vote for me.
Mr Tharoor said he will go by the assurance of neutrality given by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi
Congress veteran Mallikarjun Kharge said he is also throwing his hat into the ring. “I am going to file my nomination (for Congress president post)”, Mr. Kharge told media persons as he left for the AICC headquarters.
Mr. Kharge filed his nomination in the presence of Ashok Gehlot, Anand Sharma, Prithviraj Chavan among others
Mr Sharma and Mr Chavan are members of the ginger group or G-23 that has written to Sonia Gandhi for internal reforms. Mr Tharoor was also signatory to the 2020 letter.
Among the proposers for Mr Kharge includes G-23 leaders like Manish Tewari, Prithviraj Chavan and Anand Sharma. Other senior leaders who are proposers A K Antony Ashok Gehlot, Ambika Soni, Ajay Maken and Salman Khurshid among others.
After filing the nomination, Mr. Kharge said “I thank senior leaders from all states for supporting me in the Congress presidential election.”
The Congress leader stated “I appeal to all delegates to vote for me in the Congress presidential election.”
Mr. Kharge said “I am fighting for big change.”
Meanwhile, Jharkhand Congress leader K.N. Tripathi also filed his nomination for the party’s topmost position and said that “the decision of party leaders is respected”. “I belong to a farmer’s family. The country is seeing that son of a farmer who has experience of serving with the Indian Air Force, minister in state government and elected as deputy leader of Jharkhand Legislative Assembly, can also contest for the post of AICC president,” Mr. Tripathi had said before filing his nominations today.
Earlier, both Digvijaya Singh and Ashok Gehlot stated that they have dropped out of the race.
The former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister visited Mr. Kharge at his residence this morning. “I told him that I stand by him and can’t even think of contesting against him, I will be his proposer,” Mr. Singh told reporters.
Congress MP Deepender S Hooda also said: “I welcome Mallikarjun Kharge’s nomination for Congress president post and am confident that he will get elected. Over the years, he has raised the voice of the people in Parliament. I’ve signed his nomination papers as a proposer.”
Meanwhile, Mr. 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 close at 3 pm and results will be declared on October 19. With the 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..
(With inputs from PTI and ANI)