A few days back, the Congress on the instructions of Sonia Gandhi had issued a set of guidelines for the conduct of its presidential election. Two are standing outside. One section says, “Both Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor are contesting elections in their individual capacity. Delegates are therefore free to vote for any of them.” Another clause states, “Those who wish to campaign for any candidate are free to do so, but to resign from their position.” Only then can they be.”
But this is largely on paper if one pays attention to the way it is happening. While most senior party seniors are confident that Kharge has the numbers and will win, there are also concerns that Tharoor may despite the defeat highlight the fact that the Congress has resisted change and is reluctant to give up on the court culture. .
News18.com has learned that some of the leaders who are supporting or campaigning for Tharoor have received calls asking them to abstain from campaigning for him or be neutral. One of these supporters of Tharoor said, “He has a lot of charm and many young members of the party have told us that they want him to win. For example, if it is a debate between Kharge and (Arvind) Kejriwal, then obviously it is Kharge who is weak in comparison. But if it is Tharoor vs Kejriwal, it will clearly weigh on Tharoor.
Based on this is the court culture of the Congress which does not want anyone to come close to the Gandhi family or dominate them. The group around the Gandhi family feels that Kharge may not be a threat, while Tharoor’s “stand for change, stand for Tharoor” pitch may create some uncomfortable moments for them.
Sources say that one of Tharoor’s strongest supporters is Karti Chidambaram, who has arranged campaigns for him in Tamil Nadu and also streamlined his election campaign. He has openly questioned why Tharoor is not being given equal opportunity.
Some Congress sources say that BJP’s words regarding the elections seem to be coming true. That the choice is falling on someone who may be reprehensible.
This is also one of the reasons for ousting Ashok Gehlot. Sources say that he was eventually open to the idea of change in Rajasthan, but when the “revolt” happened, Gandhi and the group around him began to have second thoughts about him, despite his apologetics. He knew that if he becomes the President, “there will be two centers of power…Rahul Gandhi and Gehlot. But if someone like Gehlot is to be replaced by someone as scandalous, it will be Rahul Gandhi versus the rest. So it was planned that Gehlot Ask him to say no to nomination and find someone else, who turned out to be Kharge.
For now, things are not going according to plan. The need to assure Sachin Pilot is facing competition with the desire to keep Gehlot away from Delhi. “If Pilot becomes CM, what will we give to Gehlot? He will have to give something in Delhi, but will he be safe?” said an insider.
The Congress has the numbers, the confidence and the plan to ensure votes for Kharge. But the perception of change lies with Shashi Tharoor. And Congress may win the war, but Tharoor may still win the battle.
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