For Mallikarjun Kharge’s nomination, several party leaders including Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Digvijaya Singh, Prithviraj Chavan, AK Antony, AM Singhvi and Ajay Maken became the proposers.
New Delhi: Since veteran Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has opted out from the race of presidential polls, it is finally Shashi Tharoor versus Gandis backed Mallikarjun Khadge now. Kharge (80) on Friday filed his nomination paper for the top post of Congress and may submit his resignation as Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha. Kharge’s resignation from Leader of Opposition may come in line with the party’s “one person, one post” rule.
For Mallikarjun Kharge’s nomination, several party leaders including Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Digvijaya Singh, Prithviraj Chavan, AK Antony, AM Singhvi and Ajay Maken became the proposers.
Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor also filed his nomination paper on Friday. Besides Tharoor, Congress leader and former Jharkhand minister K N Tripathi also filed his nomination as a third candidate. Digvijaya Singh, who has earlier announced to fight, today decided not to show his candidature. He decided to opt out from the race after meeting with Mallikarjun Kharge this morning.
According to the reports, senior party leader KC Venugopal informed Kharge that the leadership wants him to contest. Earlier, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot announced to quit the race after apologizing to Sonia Gandhi for the Rajasthan revolt by MLAs loyal to him.
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday had said that he is not in the race of Congress president. The Chief Minister, after meeting party president Sonia Gandhi at her residence, had said that he has ‘apologised’ to Gandhi over the recent crisis in Rajasthan Congress. His meeting with the party president had come after a recent crisis in the state amid speculation of elevation of Sachin Pilot as Chief Minister of the state.
Gehlot, while talking to media persons, had said that he took ‘moral responsibility’ for the turmoil in the state by MLAs loyal to him.
He had said that he was shaken after recent turmoil in the state. “It is my moral responsibility as the Chief Minister to ensure a coordinated effort and for the first time that hasn’t happened. I have expressed my apology to Sonia Gandhi. I have held different posts in the Congress over several years but this is the first time this has happened. This has saddened me. I will not contest elections under these circumstances. Sonia Gandhi will decide whether I stay Chief Minister,” he had said.
Earlier, it was said that Gehlot will file his nomination for the president post as the election is scheduled to be held on October 17. Amid Gehlot’s elevation as new boss of the party, Sachin Pilot was the likely choice of central leadership for the post of Rajasthan CM. Meanwhile, pro-Gehlot MLAs opposed any such move to elevate Pilot as new CM of the state. As many as 92 MLAs had on Sunday revolted against the party’s decision and submitted mass resignation to the state assembly speaker. The MLAs said that they will never accept Pilot as CM of the state as he had earlier revolted against Ashok Gehlot government. They said that the new chief minister should be elected by the Congress legislatures instead of the central team.
