Lok Sabha member from Thiruvananthapuram Shashi Tharoor will file his nomination for the Congress presidential election towards the latter part of this week after mobilising the support of delegates from different parts of the country, sources have told The Hindu. Mr. Tharoor’s close aide Aalim Javeri collected the nomination form on Saturday.
The developments virtually confirm what The Hindu reported on September 20 that the Congress presidential election would be a contest between Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Mr. Tharoor, one of the members of the G-23, or the ginger group that has been pushing for internal reforms in the party.
The Congress is all set to witness a contest after 22 years as the last election took place in November 2000. Polling will be held on October 17 across all the States and the Union Territories, the counting of votes will be taken up on October 19 in Delhi and the results will be declared the same day. Mr. Gehlot has already announced his candidature for the election. He is likely to file his nomination on September 27 or 28.
Meanwhile, the Congress has called a meeting of its legislature party today amid the buzz over a leadership change in Rajasthan. Senior leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Ajay Maken have been appointed as observers to attend the discussions that will likely be on a new chief ministerial candidate to replace Ashok Gehlot, who is contesting the party presidential election. The party high command earlier made it clear that the “one man one post” principle has to be followed.
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