Gehlot has extensive expertise in running organizations, whilst Tharoor has little to none; Gehlot is viewed as a stalwart, whereas Tharoor is an outsider devoid of the party’s baggage. These are both positive and negative characteristics as Congress searches for a new president.
Shashi Tharoor, a member of parliament and leader of the Indian National Congress, gained approval from Sonia Gandhi on Monday to run in the next election for the position of party president, according to sources.
He previously said that the speculation regarding whether he will run for the party’s top post is up to the public in a presidential election article he wrote for a Malayalam daily.
Tharoor remarked, “The point I put forward in the article is that elections are a good thing for the party. A democratic country like ours needs a democratic party. I welcome Congress’s decision to conduct polls. People are free to speculate as they like. ”
With candidates like Ashok Gehlot, Sachin Pilot, and Shashi Tharoor making the rounds for the top job, the Congress’s renewed push to elect a new party president has gained momentum. Rahul Gandhi, who is currently leading the Bharat Jodo Yatra against the divisive policies of the BJP administration at the center in Kochi, is once again the focus of attention.
Congress Presidential Polls
The approaching elections would be very significant since the winner would succeed Sonia Gandhi, the party president who has served the longest. The last election held by the party was in November 2000. Sonia Gandhi defeated Jitendra Prasad in 2000.
Sharad Pawar and Rajesh Pilot had previously been beaten by Sitaram Kesri in 1997.
The notification-issuing phase of the election process for the Congress president will start on September 22, and the nomination-filing phase will run from September 25 to September 30. On October 17, the election will take place, and the results will be announced two days later.
Ashok Gehlot or Shashi Tharoor?
According to reports, high Congress leadership favors Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot as a likely front-runner for the position. Gehlot informed Congress MLAs on Tuesday that if he chooses to submit his nomination for the party president election, they will be asked to travel to New Delhi.
To convince Rahul Gandhi, who has apparently chosen not to run for president, he would first travel to Kochi. Despite previously denying that he is a candidate, Gehlot has stated that he will try to persuade Rahul Gandhi to run for office.
Gehlot is thought to have the support and trust of the current administration, but Shashi Tharoor, a member of the G-23, has declared his intention to run against Gehlot. On Monday, Tharoor met with Sonia Gandhi and announced his decision to run for office. According to reports, the Congress president told Tharoor that she would remain “neutral” during the elections.
Jairam Ramesh of the Congress tweeted, “The entire group is committed to the success of the Bharat Jodo Yatra. The fact that any member is welcome to run for Congress President should be emphasised again. This procedure is democratic and open.”
Support for Rahul Gandhi
An increasing chorus of support for Rahul Gandhi to be elected President has made Congress officials in Kerala unimpressed with Tharoor’s choice to run for office. “If Rahul Gandhi (the incumbent) declines to accept the position, someone who is well-liked by the AICC and the vast majority of leaders and workers should fill it.
The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee and I both wish for it” Kodikunnil Suresh, the leader of Congress, remarked. Muraleedharan, a Vadakara MP, stated that the state party would only support candidates who acknowledge the importance of the Nehru family.
Sarat Pattnayak, chairman of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC), declared on Tuesday that the party’s state committee supported Rahul Gandhi’s election as AICC president.
The Pradesh Congress Committees (PCCs) of other states like Haryana and Jharkhand have also joined the chorus in support of Rahul Gandhi succeeding Sonia Gandhi as party leader. So far, about ten PCCs have publicly backed Rahul. The Gandhi scion, though, is reportedly unlikely to challenge or modify his position.
