Congress Presidential Election News: CLP Meeting on Sunday at Rajasthan CM Gehlot's Jaipur Residence

The filing of nominations for Congress presidential elections which is likely to see a contest between Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and party leader Shashi Tharoor started on Saturday. Nomination forms for Tharoor were collected from the party headquarters in Delhi with sources saying he is likely to file his papers on September 30. Meanwhile, Congress legislative party meeting will be held on Sunday in Jaipur at Gehlot’s residence. AICC in-charge of Rajasthan Ajay Maken and a senior leader from AICC will be present in the meeting.

The nominations will be filed between 24 September and 30 September, while the voting will be held on 17 October. The results for the new Congress chief will be declared on 19 October.

The grand old party will see a non-Gandhi chief after 25 years with Sitaram Kesri being the last in 1997 when he defeated Sharad Pawar and Rajesh Pilot. Sonia Gandhi replaced Kesri as party chief in 1998 and remains the longest-serving party president.

Tharoor to Enter Race

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Saturday collected the form to run for the post of party president. Tharoor, who is the first leader to officially enter the contest, will face Ashok Gehlot who has also announced his candidature.

Tharoor is one of the members of the Congress’s G-23 leaders and the first party leader to declare his intention to run for the post.

Gehlot Announces Poll Bid

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot became the first person to announce his candidature for the AICC presidential poll on Friday and said Rahul Gandhi has told him that no one from the Gandhi family should become the next party chief.

He also said the call on his successor to head the Rajasthan government will be taken by the party’s interim president, Sonia Gandhi, and the Congress’s Rajasthan in-charge, Ajay Maken.

Gehlot’s remarks came a day after former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi batted for the “one-man, one-post” concept in the party, in line with the Chintan Shivir reforms earlier this year. With Shashi Tharoor likely to be the second contender and the names of several others also doing the rounds for joining the fray, Gehlot said the aim should be that all Congress members work together after the poll to strengthen the party.

“I will fix the date (to submit the nomination papers) after going back (to Rajasthan), but I have decided that I will have to contest. It is a question of democracy and let us make a new start,” Gehlot said.

Pilot Meets Speaker Joshi

Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Friday met Rajasthan Assembly Speaker CP Joshi amid speculations of change of guard in the state as Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot cleared that he will be running for the post of the Congress’ national president. Pilot met Joshi in his chamber in the state Assembly, where several party MLAs were also present.

According to party sources, Pilot is the main contender for the chief minister’s post, but Speaker Joshi’s name is also doing the rounds. Joshi is a former state Congress president and was a contender for the post in 2008 but lost the Assembly elections by one vote at that time. Earlier in the day, both Gehlot and Pilot reached Jaipur after meeting the party high command.

However, none of the leaders commented on the latest developments. Gehlot, who was out of the state capital for three days, returned to Jaipur Friday evening with Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasra. He went straight from the airport to the chief minister’s residence. Gehlot had gone to Delhi on Wednesday. From there, he went to Kochi and met Rahul Gandhi. He was in Maharashtra on Friday and visited the Shirdi’s Sai Baba temple.

Raj Minister Says Pilot Next CM

Rajasthan minister Rajendra Gudha claimed that Congress leader Sachin Pilot will become the next chief minister soon. Gudha claimed that all the MLAs support Sachin Pilot.

He also said claimed that Independent MLAs who were in favour of Ashok Gehlot will support Sachin Pilot. This statement comes as senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi reiterated the party’s “one-man, one-post” concept in lines with the Chintan Shivir reforms.

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