Congress president elections: Race for top post in GOP – and to possibly replace Sonia Gandhi – appears set to be between Shashi Tharoor and Ashok Gehlot
Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot emerged this week as a possible candidate for Congress president in next month’s election. If confirmed, the Gandhi family loyalist will join former union minister Shashi Tharoor – a prominent member of group of dissenting senior leaders who have questioned the Gandhis’ leadership – in the race to replace interim boss Sonia Gandhi and give the opposition outfit its first non-Gandhi leader in nearly 25 years.
Gehlot’s candidature, however, has yet to be confirmed and sources close to the veteran politician say his first choice remains Rahul Gandhi; the Rajasthan unit of the Congress on Saturday passed a resolution calling on him to return.
Gehlot visited Sonia Gandhi in Delhi a few weeks ago.
Tharoor’s candidature has been confirmed. A Lok Sabha MP from Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram, he met Sonia Gandhi in Delhi on Monday – shortly after endorsing a petition calling for reforms within the party – and was assured of ‘fair and transparent’ elections and confirmation anyone could file nominations.
A senior leader (on condition of anonymity) told Hindustan Times Sonia Gandhi ‘made it very clear that (a) genuine election will be held and anyone who wants can stand for president’.
Perhaps significantly, Sonia Gandhi also said there will be no party candidate.
Hindustan Times could not reach Tharoor for a comment and Gehlot ‘remains a loyal soldier of Sonia and Rahul Gandhi’, sources told news agency ANI.
The election has been scheduled for October 17, with results due two days later.
Tharoor’s path to the presidency, however, has been complicated by news Gehlot might also run; the Rajasthan chief minister is a staunch Gandhi loyalist and has frequently defended Rahul Gandhi and the family from criticism.
This includes that from within party ranks.
He is likely to be supported by those campaigning for Rahul Gandhi – who this week was coy on his possible return.
Rahul Gandhi is in Kerala leading the Congress’ ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ and, pushed on a second term, said, “…will become clear when elections take place”.
Filing of nominations for the election begins on September 22.
The elections will take place amid much controversy given that several senior leaders have walked out of the party over the past year – a period in which the party also lost multiple elections as critics issued repeated warnings.
Meanwhile, as the election date nears the calls for Rahul Gandhi to return grow louder. Over the past few days at least seven Congress state units – including Rajasthan and poll-bound Gujarat have passed resolutions to that effect.
The last non-Gandhi Congress chief was Sitaram Kesari. Sonia Gandhi took over in March 1998 and returned to the post after Rahul Gandhi quit in 2019.
