Sitaram Kesari was the last non-Gandhi Congress President, and Sonia Gandhi took over in March 1998, roughly two years after the Narasimha Rao government was defeated.
New Delhi, 24th September:Â Shashi Tharoor a senior member of the Congress, officially entered the race today when he picked up the nomination form for party president. According to news agency ANI, the Congress MP’s representative picked up the party’s Central Election Authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry’s nomination papers. Mr. Tharoor had also requested five sets of nomination papers for the election.
Shashi Tharoor for Congress President
Mr. Tharoor, a prominent member of the G-23 or group of 23 leaders of the Congress, was the first to announce his intention to run for the position that has been held by the Gandhi’s for more than 20 years, either Sonia Gandhi or her son Rahul.
A more formidable opponent for Mr. Tharoor, who has Mrs. Gandhi’s approval to run in the election on October 17, is Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. Gehlot is a devoted supporter of the Gandhi family and is backed by those who want to maintain the status quo and have Rahul Gandhi take back the presidency.
Kamal Nath, a colleague of Mr. Tharoor from Madhya Pradesh, and Manish Tiwari, a former union minister who, with Mr. Tharoor, had written to Sonia Gandhi in 2020 calling for an organizational overhaul and attributing the party’s downward spiral to a leadership drift, are also said to be interested.
For the first time in more than 20 years, Gandhi won’t be the presumptive front-runner for president in this election.
Rahul Gandhi, who is currently leading the party’s “Bharat Jodo” yatra, has flatly refused to return as president, a position he resigned after the 2019 general election debacle.
Sonia Gandhi, who served as Congress President for 19 years before handing over the reins to Mr. Gandhi, has served as interim Congress President since then. Rahul Gandhi, who is currently leading the party’s “Bharat Jodo” yatra, has flatly refused to return as president, a position he resigned after the 2019 general election debacle.
Sonia Gandhi, who served as Congress President for 19 years before handing over the reins to Mr. Gandhi, has served as interim Congress President since then.
The election takes place against the backdrop of a number of key leaders stepping down in recent years. Senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad was the last to leave, and his departure was followed by most leaders of the party’s Jammu and Kashmir unit.
Sitaram Kesari was the last non-Gandhi Congress President, and Sonia Gandhi took over in March 1998, roughly two years after the Narasimha Rao government was defeated.
