New Delhi: There will be a three-way contest between the Presidential elections of the Congress to be held on October 17.
, The time for filing nominations closed at 3 pm on Friday.
Tharoor filed five sets of nominations, while Tripathi, a former Jharkhand minister, filed one set along with Congress’s Central Election Authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry. Kharge also filed several sets.
Senior leaders Ashok Gehlot and Digvijay Singh dropped out of the race – Gehlot ruled himself out on Thursday, while Digvijaya’s return took place by Friday morning.
But the question of Chief Minister’s post in Rajasthan does not seem to be resolved. A senior party leader said a decision on this “can be taken in a day or two”.
Tharoor files nomination, insists on decentralization
Shashi Tharoor formalized his candidature for congress president election Today by filing nomination at the party headquarters, Akbar Road in New Delhi.
Speaking to the media after filing his nomination, Tharoor said elections are about India’s youth and its future. He also emphasized the need for decentralization of the Congress organization.
“The new leaders, not ‘suffering’ from being entangled for too long within the current system, can energize the party. Some quarters talk of ‘official candidates’ but the Gandhi family has insisted they support anyone. The Gandhi family is and the foundation is the pillars of the Congress, our moral conscience, the ultimate guiding spirit,” he said.
Kharge says ‘proud moment’ after filing papers
Senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge also filed his nomination on Friday. He is the current Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha.
Many senior leaders including Salman Khurshid, Manish Tewari and Prithviraj Chavan proposed Kharge’s name.
Kharge was surrounded by a galaxy of politicians when he filed the nominations, and appears to be the clear favorite over his rivals Tharoor and Tripathi.
Kharge said, “I have been associated with Congress ideology since childhood, used to campaign for the same Gandhi, Nehru ideology when I was in 8th, 9th standard. Today I filed nomination for Congress President. It’s a proud moment Is.” Said after filing nomination.
Digvijay out of the race
Earlier in the day, Digvijay Singh, who had submitted his nomination papers on Thursday, dropped out of the race.
Singh said, “I met Mallikarjun Kharge this morning. Once he confirmed the filing of nominations, I decided not to go ahead with him. Had I known earlier, I would not have collected the nomination papers. ”
Chief Minister of Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot on Thursday apologized to Sonia Gandhi and announced that he would not contest for the top post. He cited “moral responsibility” for boycotting the meeting called last Sunday in Jaipur.
The move by the legislators had stalled the passing of a 0ne-line resolution authorizing the party president to decide on the leadership issue in the state.
Who will be the next Chief Minister of Rajasthan?
Asked if he will continue as Rajasthan chief minister now that he is not in the race for the top post of the party, Ashok Gehlot said the matter will be decided by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.
However, a section of MLAs loyal to him is clear in saying that they will not accept a “traitor” (read Sachin Pilot) as Gehlot’s replacement.
Sachin Pilot meets Sonia Gandhi in Delhi
Former Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot met Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Thursday night and said that she discussed the developments in the state in detail and expressed her feelings on the situation. “I have conveyed my sentiments to Sonia Gandhi by giving my response. Our priority is to win the 2023 assembly elections in Rajasthan, for which we will have to work together,” Pilot said after the meeting.