NEW DELHI: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor is scheduled to submit his nomination papers for the upcoming presidential elections of the All India Congress Committee on Saturday.
As per the information, Tharoor will visit 24 Akbar Road at 12.15 pm tomorrow. He will subsequently hold a press conference at 1 pm at his residence on 97 Lodhi Estate (opposite Air Force Bal Bharti Public School).
Meanwhile, party leader Digvijaya Singh, another contender for the topmost position in the party, will also file his nomination tomorrow between 11 am and 3 pm. Tharoor welcomed Singh’s candidacy and said that both of them have agreed to consider it a friendly contest.
“Received a visit from [?]@digvijaya_28 [?] this afternoon. I welcome his candidacy for the Presidency of our Party. We both agreed that ours is not a battle between rivals but a friendly contest among colleagues. All we both want is that whoever prevails, @incIndia will win!,” Tharoor tweeted.
Notably, another prominent contender for the president post in the party, Ashok Gehlot, on Thursday announced that he will not contest the elections.
“I met Rahul Gandhi in Kochi and requested him to fight the polls (for Congress president). When he didn’t accept, I said I’ll contest. But now with that incident (political crisis in Rajasthan), I have decided not to contest the elections,” CM Gehlot said.
Gehlot’s remarks came after the veteran leader met with the party’s interim chief Sonia Gandhi at her residence at 10 Janpath in the national capital.
The Rajasthan CM further apologised for the ruckus in Rajasthan triggered by his loyalists over a possible leadership change in the state after Gehlot was set to file his nomination papers for the Congress chief polls.
Gehlot said that whatever happened in the state in the past two days had shocked everyone. On being asked if he will remain Rajasthan CM, Gehlot said, “I won’t decide that, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi will decide that.”
“One-line resolution is our tradition. Unfortunately, a situation arose where that resolution wasn’t passed. It was my moral responsibility (to pass the resolution), but despite being the CM, I couldn’t get it passed,” he added.
Talking to reporters, Gehlot said the party works under the Congress president and decisions will be taken in the time to come. He said Congress workers worry about the direction in which the country is heading and tackling the issue was more important. (ANI)