News Analysis India

Tag: Congress chief polls

  • Tough road ahead for Mallikarjun Kharge as challenges galore for Congress

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Tough tests await newly elected Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, the party’s first non-Gandhi chief in more than 24 years, as he steers the ‘grand old party’ through the many challenges on the road to the 2024 general elections.

    The situation in which he takes over is a tough one for the Congress with the party’s chances in the upcoming Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh elections not looking very bright, infighting simmering in states such as Rajasthan and Karnataka, and hurdles in abundance for Opposition unity in the run-up to 2024.

    Kharge has many things favouring him as he assumes the party’s top spot after a high-octane election, defeating a worthy opponent in Shashi Tharoor.

    He is known to be a unifier who takes everyone along.

    A Dalit from Karnataka, 80-year-old Kharge trounced his 66-year-old rival Tharoor in a historic election, the sixth in the party’s 137-year-old history.

    He will formally take over on October 26.

    His elevation to the party’s top post comes when the Congress is in power in just two states on its own – Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh – and faces a very aggressive incumbent BJP in election-bound Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat a few weeks from now.

    This will be Kharge’s first challenge.

    Later in 2023, the Congress president will face the onerous task of leading the party in nine assembly elections, including in his home state Karnataka.

    Kharge’s election also comes at a time when the party is reeling under internal rumblings and high-profile exits after a series of electoral debacles that have reduced it to a shadow of its former formidable self.

    He will have to fend off BJP’s allegations of being a front for the Gandhis and remote-controlled by them.

    Kharge also faces the challenge of a generational divide in the party and has to maintain a balance between experience and the youth going forward.

    Political commentator Rasheed Kidwai said there are several challenges before Kharge as he has to coordinate with Team Rahul Gandhi, which occupies key posts and positions in the All India Congress Committee (AICC), the Congress Working Committee (CWC) and in most states.

    The next challenge is constituting the CWC, in which most of the G-23 protagonists who supported him hope to get accommodated, Kidwai told PTI.

    READ HERE | Congress making Dalits ‘scapegoats’: Mayawati on Kharge as party president

    Kharge also faces the immediate challenge of the Rajasthan political crisis as he needs to “tame a defiant Ashok Gehlot and get a role for Sachin Pilot”, said Kidwai, the author of several books, including ’24 Akbar Road: A Short History Of The People Behind The Fall And Rise Of The Congress’.

    He also has to firm up a broad alliance for the 2024 general elections with TMC’s Mamata Banerjee, DMK’s MK Stalin, JD(U)’s Nitish Kumar, and TRS’ K Chandrashekar Rao among others, Kidwai said.

    Echoing similar views, political commentator Sanjay Kumar said there are a lot of challenges for the party, and unfortunately, Kharge’s ability to lead would be tested on the parameter of electoral success of the Congress.

    “Unfortunately, the Congress does not seem to be in a very good position when it comes to facing the BJP in states like Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, and next year’s assembly polls starting with Karnataka. The party does not seem to be in a favourable situation in these states,” Kumar told PTI.

    A lot of criticism may start coming his way early on with critics arguing that the leadership change has not done much for the party, said Kumar, co-director of Lokniti, a research programme at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies.

    He said it remains to be seen if the “puppet” tag that many critics have labelled on Kharge sticks or not depending on whether he takes decisions independently or “rushes to 10 Janpath (Sonia Gandhi’s residence) and Rahul Gandhi” for advice.

    Kumar also said infighting has been a challenge for Congress and recent developments in Rajasthan proved that, so if the Gandhi family has had a problem dealing with it, Kharge will have more problems.

    “I also visualise maybe a vertical split within the party between Gandhi family loyalists and those who start looking forward to Kharge as the party president taking independent decisions,” he said.

    ALSO READ | Kharge will have say in Karnataka elections ticket distribution: DKS

    Manindra Nath Thakur, an associate professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University’s Centre for Political Studies, said Kharge and the Congress face three main challenges – reconstituting support base in the Hindi heartland, a new socio-economic-political idea to which people can be attracted, and revamping the organisational structure.

    “Earlier presidents had legitimacy, Kharge will have to gain that legitimacy. He is not the natural choice of everyone in the party and therefore, he has to work hard for that,” Thakur told PTI.

    The road ahead is certainly tough for Kharge, but many in the party believe he is the right man for the job as he has a lot of experience, takes everyone along and understands the Congress’ organisational functioning inside out.

    Whether he can successfully steer the party across the obstacles that await it on the road to 2024, only time will tell.

    NEW DELHI: Tough tests await newly elected Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, the party’s first non-Gandhi chief in more than 24 years, as he steers the ‘grand old party’ through the many challenges on the road to the 2024 general elections.

    The situation in which he takes over is a tough one for the Congress with the party’s chances in the upcoming Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh elections not looking very bright, infighting simmering in states such as Rajasthan and Karnataka, and hurdles in abundance for Opposition unity in the run-up to 2024.

    Kharge has many things favouring him as he assumes the party’s top spot after a high-octane election, defeating a worthy opponent in Shashi Tharoor.

    He is known to be a unifier who takes everyone along.

    A Dalit from Karnataka, 80-year-old Kharge trounced his 66-year-old rival Tharoor in a historic election, the sixth in the party’s 137-year-old history.

    He will formally take over on October 26.

    His elevation to the party’s top post comes when the Congress is in power in just two states on its own – Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh – and faces a very aggressive incumbent BJP in election-bound Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat a few weeks from now.

    This will be Kharge’s first challenge.

    Later in 2023, the Congress president will face the onerous task of leading the party in nine assembly elections, including in his home state Karnataka.

    Kharge’s election also comes at a time when the party is reeling under internal rumblings and high-profile exits after a series of electoral debacles that have reduced it to a shadow of its former formidable self.

    He will have to fend off BJP’s allegations of being a front for the Gandhis and remote-controlled by them.

    Kharge also faces the challenge of a generational divide in the party and has to maintain a balance between experience and the youth going forward.

    Political commentator Rasheed Kidwai said there are several challenges before Kharge as he has to coordinate with Team Rahul Gandhi, which occupies key posts and positions in the All India Congress Committee (AICC), the Congress Working Committee (CWC) and in most states.

    The next challenge is constituting the CWC, in which most of the G-23 protagonists who supported him hope to get accommodated, Kidwai told PTI.

    READ HERE | Congress making Dalits ‘scapegoats’: Mayawati on Kharge as party president

    Kharge also faces the immediate challenge of the Rajasthan political crisis as he needs to “tame a defiant Ashok Gehlot and get a role for Sachin Pilot”, said Kidwai, the author of several books, including ’24 Akbar Road: A Short History Of The People Behind The Fall And Rise Of The Congress’.

    He also has to firm up a broad alliance for the 2024 general elections with TMC’s Mamata Banerjee, DMK’s MK Stalin, JD(U)’s Nitish Kumar, and TRS’ K Chandrashekar Rao among others, Kidwai said.

    Echoing similar views, political commentator Sanjay Kumar said there are a lot of challenges for the party, and unfortunately, Kharge’s ability to lead would be tested on the parameter of electoral success of the Congress.

    “Unfortunately, the Congress does not seem to be in a very good position when it comes to facing the BJP in states like Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, and next year’s assembly polls starting with Karnataka. The party does not seem to be in a favourable situation in these states,” Kumar told PTI.

    A lot of criticism may start coming his way early on with critics arguing that the leadership change has not done much for the party, said Kumar, co-director of Lokniti, a research programme at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies.

    He said it remains to be seen if the “puppet” tag that many critics have labelled on Kharge sticks or not depending on whether he takes decisions independently or “rushes to 10 Janpath (Sonia Gandhi’s residence) and Rahul Gandhi” for advice.

    Kumar also said infighting has been a challenge for Congress and recent developments in Rajasthan proved that, so if the Gandhi family has had a problem dealing with it, Kharge will have more problems.

    “I also visualise maybe a vertical split within the party between Gandhi family loyalists and those who start looking forward to Kharge as the party president taking independent decisions,” he said.

    ALSO READ | Kharge will have say in Karnataka elections ticket distribution: DKS

    Manindra Nath Thakur, an associate professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University’s Centre for Political Studies, said Kharge and the Congress face three main challenges – reconstituting support base in the Hindi heartland, a new socio-economic-political idea to which people can be attracted, and revamping the organisational structure.

    “Earlier presidents had legitimacy, Kharge will have to gain that legitimacy. He is not the natural choice of everyone in the party and therefore, he has to work hard for that,” Thakur told PTI.

    The road ahead is certainly tough for Kharge, but many in the party believe he is the right man for the job as he has a lot of experience, takes everyone along and understands the Congress’ organisational functioning inside out.

    Whether he can successfully steer the party across the obstacles that await it on the road to 2024, only time will tell.

  • Mallikarjun Kharge elected as Congress’ first non-Gandhi president in over two decades

    By Online Desk

    The Congress party elected veteran leader Mallikarjun Kharge as its first non-Gandhi president in 24 years on Wednesday. Kharge secured 7897 votes while his co-contender Shashi Tharoor got about 1000 votes. 416 votes were rejected out of the 9, 500 votes counted.

    Kharge will replace Sonia Gandhi, the longest-serving party president who has been at the helm since 1998, barring the two years between 2017 and 2019 when Rahul Gandhi had taken over.

    Congress central election authority chairman Mistry on Monday expressed satisfaction with the party’s presidential polls process, saying it was “free, fair and transparent”.

    He has also said it was a secret ballot and no one would get to know who voted for whom.

    Of the total 9,915 Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) delegates that formed the electoral college to pick the party chief in a secret ballot, over 9,500 cast their ballot at PCC offices and the AICC headquarters, Mistry had said at a press conference after the polling ended on Monday.

    Electors in the Congress presidential polls had been asked to put a tick mark against their candidate in the ballot paper after Tharoor’s team took up with the party’s top poll body the issue of its earlier directive that voters write “1” to reflect their preference. This, the team said, might lead to confusion.

    Ahead of the polling, Kharge had said he would have no shame in taking the advice and support of the Gandhi family in running the party affairs, if he becomes its president.

    Tharoor, on his part, took a veiled dig at some senior leaders supporting Kharge, saying that some colleagues were “indulging in ‘netagiri’ and telling party workers that they know who Sonia Gandhi wants elected”.

    The Congress party elected veteran leader Mallikarjun Kharge as its first non-Gandhi president in 24 years on Wednesday. Kharge secured 7897 votes while his co-contender Shashi Tharoor got about 1000 votes. 416 votes were rejected out of the 9, 500 votes counted.

    Kharge will replace Sonia Gandhi, the longest-serving party president who has been at the helm since 1998, barring the two years between 2017 and 2019 when Rahul Gandhi had taken over.

    Congress central election authority chairman Mistry on Monday expressed satisfaction with the party’s presidential polls process, saying it was “free, fair and transparent”.

    He has also said it was a secret ballot and no one would get to know who voted for whom.

    Of the total 9,915 Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) delegates that formed the electoral college to pick the party chief in a secret ballot, over 9,500 cast their ballot at PCC offices and the AICC headquarters, Mistry had said at a press conference after the polling ended on Monday.

    Electors in the Congress presidential polls had been asked to put a tick mark against their candidate in the ballot paper after Tharoor’s team took up with the party’s top poll body the issue of its earlier directive that voters write “1” to reflect their preference. This, the team said, might lead to confusion.

    Ahead of the polling, Kharge had said he would have no shame in taking the advice and support of the Gandhi family in running the party affairs, if he becomes its president.

    Tharoor, on his part, took a veiled dig at some senior leaders supporting Kharge, saying that some colleagues were “indulging in ‘netagiri’ and telling party workers that they know who Sonia Gandhi wants elected”.

  • Will have no shame in taking advice of Gandhi family: Mallikarjun Kharge

    By PTI

    BENGALURU: Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday said he would have no shame in taking the advice and support of the Gandhi family in running the party affairs, in case he becomes its President, as they have struggled and put their strength for its growth.

    The veteran leader said that he is the “delegates’ candidate” in this polls to the party’s highest post, scheduled for October 17.

    “They say such things as there is nothing else to tell. BJP indulges in such a campaign and others follow it. Sonia Gandhi has worked for 20 years in the organisation. Rahul Gandhi was also president. They have struggled for the party and put their strength for its growth,” Kharge said responding to a question about talk that he would be the remote control of the Gandhi family on becoming the AICC President.

    Speaking to reporters here, he highlighted that the Nehru-Gandhi family has contributed immensely and sacrificed for this country from Jawaharlal Nehru to Indira Gandhi to Rajiv Gandhi to Sonia Gandhi.

    “Just because we (Congress) lost a few elections, saying such a thing (against Gandhis) is not right. They have done good for this country, their advice will benefit the party, so I will definitely seek their advice and support. There is no shame in it. If something benefits from your (media) advice, I will take it as well. They have worked for this party and taking their advice is my duty,” Kharge said.

    “Further Sonia and Rahul Gandhi know every nook and corner of the country, who is where and who can do what for the party. What has to be done to have unity in the party, I need to learn and I will do it,” he added.

    The Member of Rajya Sabha from Karnataka today met some state Congress leaders and addressed the media, as part of his campaign trail here.

    He is pitted against Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor in the grand old party’s presidential polls for which results will be declared on October 19.

    READ HERE | Sixth time in its 137-year-history Congress all set to have internal elections for its president

    Khage however, did not want to make any direct comments on his opponent in the poll – Tharoor – or his campaign, and merely said that, everyone has the right to speak about their merit, while seeking support, like he has been highlighting about his connection with the party’s grassroots level.

    “I don’t want to get into any controversy, he (Tharoor) is saying his thoughts, I don’t want to debate on his thoughts. I’m sharing my thoughts. It is our organisation or a family matter. He has the right to say what he wants to, similarly I too have. It is an internal friendly fight,” he said, to a question about his message for Tharoor.

    Rebutting talk that it will be a rigged election, with senior leaders and delegates who will vote, openly supporting him, Kharge said, “I’m contacting election delegates, my campaign managers are organising. I’m a candidate of delegates, senior leaders and delegates have sponsored me.”

    He said after the Gandhi family took a stand that none of them would contest for the Congress President post, senior leaders, leaders and delegates from various states, asked him to contest, considering his long service to the party organisation.

    Asked about the Congress in election-bound Karnataka and about the impact of his election as party president, Kharge said, “leaders in the state are fighting with a cause and working hard. I believe in collective leadership, collective consultancy. The Congress in Karnataka is united and will form a government in the state (after the 2023 Assembly polls).”

    BENGALURU: Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday said he would have no shame in taking the advice and support of the Gandhi family in running the party affairs, in case he becomes its President, as they have struggled and put their strength for its growth.

    The veteran leader said that he is the “delegates’ candidate” in this polls to the party’s highest post, scheduled for October 17.

    “They say such things as there is nothing else to tell. BJP indulges in such a campaign and others follow it. Sonia Gandhi has worked for 20 years in the organisation. Rahul Gandhi was also president. They have struggled for the party and put their strength for its growth,” Kharge said responding to a question about talk that he would be the remote control of the Gandhi family on becoming the AICC President.

    Speaking to reporters here, he highlighted that the Nehru-Gandhi family has contributed immensely and sacrificed for this country from Jawaharlal Nehru to Indira Gandhi to Rajiv Gandhi to Sonia Gandhi.

    “Just because we (Congress) lost a few elections, saying such a thing (against Gandhis) is not right. They have done good for this country, their advice will benefit the party, so I will definitely seek their advice and support. There is no shame in it. If something benefits from your (media) advice, I will take it as well. They have worked for this party and taking their advice is my duty,” Kharge said.

    “Further Sonia and Rahul Gandhi know every nook and corner of the country, who is where and who can do what for the party. What has to be done to have unity in the party, I need to learn and I will do it,” he added.

    The Member of Rajya Sabha from Karnataka today met some state Congress leaders and addressed the media, as part of his campaign trail here.

    He is pitted against Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor in the grand old party’s presidential polls for which results will be declared on October 19.

    READ HERE | Sixth time in its 137-year-history Congress all set to have internal elections for its president

    Khage however, did not want to make any direct comments on his opponent in the poll – Tharoor – or his campaign, and merely said that, everyone has the right to speak about their merit, while seeking support, like he has been highlighting about his connection with the party’s grassroots level.

    “I don’t want to get into any controversy, he (Tharoor) is saying his thoughts, I don’t want to debate on his thoughts. I’m sharing my thoughts. It is our organisation or a family matter. He has the right to say what he wants to, similarly I too have. It is an internal friendly fight,” he said, to a question about his message for Tharoor.

    Rebutting talk that it will be a rigged election, with senior leaders and delegates who will vote, openly supporting him, Kharge said, “I’m contacting election delegates, my campaign managers are organising. I’m a candidate of delegates, senior leaders and delegates have sponsored me.”

    He said after the Gandhi family took a stand that none of them would contest for the Congress President post, senior leaders, leaders and delegates from various states, asked him to contest, considering his long service to the party organisation.

    Asked about the Congress in election-bound Karnataka and about the impact of his election as party president, Kharge said, “leaders in the state are fighting with a cause and working hard. I believe in collective leadership, collective consultancy. The Congress in Karnataka is united and will form a government in the state (after the 2023 Assembly polls).”

  • Will revive CWC elections, parliamentary board if I’m Congress president: Shashi Tharoor

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Congress presidential candidate Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday asserted that if he becomes the AICC chief, he would fully implement the party’s existing constitution which requires CWC elections and revival of the parliamentary board that has been dormant for a quarter-century.

    In an interview with PTI, Tharoor also said the Congress must decentralise authority and truly empower the grassroots office-bearers of the party.

    The Lok Sabha MP from Thiruvananthapuram said he would fully implement the Udaipur Declaration which was unanimously agreed at the party’s Chintan Shivir earlier this year.

    Asked about his plans for the party if he wins the electoral contest against Mallikarjun Kharge for the top post, the former Union minister said, “I think an important first step would be to call for elections to the Working Committee to spread our inner-party democracy even further.”

    “I am going to implement fully the existing Constitution, which requires CWC elections and the revival of the parliamentary board that has been dormant for a quarter-century, and the Udaipur Declaration which was unanimously agreed,” Tharoor said.

    The holding of the Congress Working Committee elections and the revival of the parliamentary board were among the key demands of the group of 23 leaders, including Tharoor, who wrote to party chief Sonia Gandhi in 2020 seeking large-scale organisational reforms.

    At the Shivir, the Congress had adopted the Udaipur Declaration which included wide-ranging organisational reforms to make the party battle-ready for the next round of assembly and Lok Sabha polls, including wider representation to those under 50 years of age and enforcing ‘one person, one post’ and ‘one family, one ticket’ rules with riders.

    Tharoor said that as he has pointed out in his manifesto that Congress must empower the party in the states by giving real authority to the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) presidents, block, mandal, and booth presidents.

    “We must decentralise authority and truly empower the grassroots office-bearers of the party. Our PCC delegates, for instance, have literally had no role for the last 22 years but to vote in the coming election on October 17th!” the 66-year-old leader said.

    “I want their elected status to be honoured by ensuring PCC delegates a place on the platform when any senior leader comes visiting, involve them in the consultations that must take place before candidates are selected for elections, and so on,” he said.

    Tharoor stressed that the Congress must provide a credible alternative to the BJP’s “centralisation of authority” in its party affairs and in the affairs of governance.

    “I have been a big fan of the 2014 UPA election slogan ‘Main nahin, hum’. Re-imagining the organisation, delegating powers to grassroots-level leaders and empowering our workers as stakeholders in our success, will not only free the new president from the onerous burdens of over-administration, but help recreate the strong state leadership that, in past eras, strengthened the Congress’ national appeal,” he said.

    Tharoor, who has run an energetic campaign across various states to seek the support of the PCC delegates for his Congress presidential bid, also said the response from ordinary party workers, especially young delegates, has been immensely encouraging.

    “Many have even volunteered to spread my message among their own circles and are supporting my campaign with a level of enthusiasm that is both inspiring and humbling,” he said.

    “I look forward to continuing to put my best foot forward and to work as hard as humanly possible in this campaign, which is the only way I can repay their faith and trust in my candidacy,” the senior Congress leader said.

    Tharoor has asserted that he is the candidate for reform and change in the way the party is run, only to make it fighting fit to tackle the BJP in 2024.

    Tharoor is pitted against Kharge, who is being seen as a favourite for the top party post because of his perceived proximity to the Gandhi family.

    However, Tharoor has reiterated time and again that the Gandhi family has made it clear that they are staying above the fray and are neutral.

    At a press conference during the Bharat Jodo Yatra last week, Rahul Gandhi had dismissed claims that the next Congress president would be “remote-controlled” by his family, saying both the contenders — Kharge and Tharoor — are people of stature and understanding and to make such a suggestion was insulting for them.

    The Congress presidential poll will take place on October 17 and the results will be out on October 19.

    NEW DELHI: Congress presidential candidate Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday asserted that if he becomes the AICC chief, he would fully implement the party’s existing constitution which requires CWC elections and revival of the parliamentary board that has been dormant for a quarter-century.

    In an interview with PTI, Tharoor also said the Congress must decentralise authority and truly empower the grassroots office-bearers of the party.

    The Lok Sabha MP from Thiruvananthapuram said he would fully implement the Udaipur Declaration which was unanimously agreed at the party’s Chintan Shivir earlier this year.

    Asked about his plans for the party if he wins the electoral contest against Mallikarjun Kharge for the top post, the former Union minister said, “I think an important first step would be to call for elections to the Working Committee to spread our inner-party democracy even further.”

    “I am going to implement fully the existing Constitution, which requires CWC elections and the revival of the parliamentary board that has been dormant for a quarter-century, and the Udaipur Declaration which was unanimously agreed,” Tharoor said.

    The holding of the Congress Working Committee elections and the revival of the parliamentary board were among the key demands of the group of 23 leaders, including Tharoor, who wrote to party chief Sonia Gandhi in 2020 seeking large-scale organisational reforms.

    At the Shivir, the Congress had adopted the Udaipur Declaration which included wide-ranging organisational reforms to make the party battle-ready for the next round of assembly and Lok Sabha polls, including wider representation to those under 50 years of age and enforcing ‘one person, one post’ and ‘one family, one ticket’ rules with riders.

    Tharoor said that as he has pointed out in his manifesto that Congress must empower the party in the states by giving real authority to the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) presidents, block, mandal, and booth presidents.

    “We must decentralise authority and truly empower the grassroots office-bearers of the party. Our PCC delegates, for instance, have literally had no role for the last 22 years but to vote in the coming election on October 17th!” the 66-year-old leader said.

    “I want their elected status to be honoured by ensuring PCC delegates a place on the platform when any senior leader comes visiting, involve them in the consultations that must take place before candidates are selected for elections, and so on,” he said.

    Tharoor stressed that the Congress must provide a credible alternative to the BJP’s “centralisation of authority” in its party affairs and in the affairs of governance.

    “I have been a big fan of the 2014 UPA election slogan ‘Main nahin, hum’. Re-imagining the organisation, delegating powers to grassroots-level leaders and empowering our workers as stakeholders in our success, will not only free the new president from the onerous burdens of over-administration, but help recreate the strong state leadership that, in past eras, strengthened the Congress’ national appeal,” he said.

    Tharoor, who has run an energetic campaign across various states to seek the support of the PCC delegates for his Congress presidential bid, also said the response from ordinary party workers, especially young delegates, has been immensely encouraging.

    “Many have even volunteered to spread my message among their own circles and are supporting my campaign with a level of enthusiasm that is both inspiring and humbling,” he said.

    “I look forward to continuing to put my best foot forward and to work as hard as humanly possible in this campaign, which is the only way I can repay their faith and trust in my candidacy,” the senior Congress leader said.

    Tharoor has asserted that he is the candidate for reform and change in the way the party is run, only to make it fighting fit to tackle the BJP in 2024.

    Tharoor is pitted against Kharge, who is being seen as a favourite for the top party post because of his perceived proximity to the Gandhi family.

    However, Tharoor has reiterated time and again that the Gandhi family has made it clear that they are staying above the fray and are neutral.

    At a press conference during the Bharat Jodo Yatra last week, Rahul Gandhi had dismissed claims that the next Congress president would be “remote-controlled” by his family, saying both the contenders — Kharge and Tharoor — are people of stature and understanding and to make such a suggestion was insulting for them.

    The Congress presidential poll will take place on October 17 and the results will be out on October 19.

  • When a candidate decides to contest, how I can stop him: Mallikarjun Kharge on Shashi Tharoor

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Nominee for the Congress president post Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday said he told fellow contender Shashi Tharoor that it would be better to have a consensus candidate, but the Lok Sabha MP insisted on a contest for the “sake of democracy”.

    Kharge said if he becomes the party chief, he will consult the Gandhi family and other senior leaders and implement the good things suggested by them, even as he rejected claims that he was the “official candidate” backed by the Gandhis.

    Launching his Congress presidential poll campaign with a press conference at his residence here, 80-year-old Kharge said there is no G-23 camp now and all those leaders want to fight unitedly against the RSS-BJP and therefore are supporting him.

    Several dissident leaders such as Bhupinder Hooda, Anand Sharma, Manish Tewari and Prithviraj Chavan of the group of 23, which had written to party chief Sonia Gandhi in 2020 for large scale organisational reform, have put their weight behind Kharge by becoming his proposers instead of backing Tharoor who was a prominent member of the grouping.

    Kharge said all senior leaders and youth leaders urged him to contest the polls as no member of the Gandhi family — Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra — wanted to become the party chief.

    “All my colleagues told me to fight the party president poll and on their calling and encouragement, I got inspiration as they extended their cooperation because Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi do not want to become president,” he said.

    Kharge asserted that he had not entered the poll fray to oppose anyone but to strengthen the Congress through his views and to take forward the party ideology.

    He said that in line with ‘one person, one post’ principle of the party, he resigned as Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha on the day he filed the nomination.

    Kharge elaborated on his political journey of struggles and successes, and asserted that working for a party is not a part-time job but a full-time work.

    “I have been working full-time. If I sat in Parliament then I would get up only in the evening at the time of shut down. It is my habit that whatever I take up, I work sincerely,” he said.

    Asked about Tharoor’s remarks that Kharge is a candidate of continuity and status quo, the Rajya Sabha MP said, “He (Tharoor) may have his views. The status quo and reforms he talks of will be decided by the 9,300-odd delegates, after that a committee will be formed (Congress Working Committee). The committee as a whole will decide all policy matters that will be formulated by consensus and we will implement that. It will not be done by one person. For me the key word is ‘Hum (We)’ instead of ‘main (Me). We will decide together and wherever there are shortcomings, we will take action,” he said.

    Kharge said senior leaders urged him to contest in view of the pressing issues facing the country such as high unemployment, rising inflation, widening gap between the rich and the poor and the BJP not fulfilling any of its promises.

    “Will always work to take forward party’s principles and ideology,” he said.

    Rejecting claims that he was the official candidate and the BJP’s criticism that the Gandhi family will wield real power, Kharge said the BJP always tries to undermine the Congress.

    “When did they (BJP) have elections, do they have an election authority? How many delegates they have? Who elected J P Nadda? Have their presidents been elected in polls.

    In the Congress, we have election authority, delegates, voting power, candidates in fray.

    Still they (BJP) are saying election is not happening, the Gandhi family is controlling,” he said.

    Kharge said the Gandhi family has sacrificed a lot for this country and pointed out that Sonia Gandhi did not even want to join politics and was persuaded on the pretext that the country needs her services and she strengthened the party.

    “For 10 years, we were in government, did she try to become PM or efforts made to make Rahul Gandhi PM. Her sacrifice for the party is very big. Rahul Gandhi is undertaking the Bharat Jodo Yatra not just for the party but is fighting against unemployment, to bring unity among people. So, when you get to learn something you must. I will consult them and other senior leaders, but that does not mean that I did not learn anything in 50 years,” he said.

    “I will consult the Gandhi family and will take good things from them and also implement and inculcate them,” he said.

    Dismissing suggestions that he is Gandhis’ candidate, Kharge said all senior leaders had come out in his support during the day of the nominations.

    Talking about Tharoor’s phone call to him after nominations, Kharge said he told him that it would be “better to have a consensus candidate to which he (Tharoor) said that there should be a fight in a democracy, and then I said ok”.

    “When a candidate decides to contest, how I can stop him. So, he is fighting and he is my younger brother. It is a family matter and we have to stay united today and tomorrow,” Kharge asserted.

    He also said he was not fighting the polls as a Dalit leader but as a Congress worker who has served the party for 55 years.

    Kharge and Tharoor were left in the fray in the Congress presidential poll after former Jharkhand minister K N Tripathi’s nomination was rejected on Saturday.

    The polling, if needed, will be held on October 17.

    The counting of votes will be taken up on October 19 and the results will be declared the same day.

    More than 9,000 Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) delegates will vote in the poll.

    NEW DELHI: Nominee for the Congress president post Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday said he told fellow contender Shashi Tharoor that it would be better to have a consensus candidate, but the Lok Sabha MP insisted on a contest for the “sake of democracy”.

    Kharge said if he becomes the party chief, he will consult the Gandhi family and other senior leaders and implement the good things suggested by them, even as he rejected claims that he was the “official candidate” backed by the Gandhis.

    Launching his Congress presidential poll campaign with a press conference at his residence here, 80-year-old Kharge said there is no G-23 camp now and all those leaders want to fight unitedly against the RSS-BJP and therefore are supporting him.

    Several dissident leaders such as Bhupinder Hooda, Anand Sharma, Manish Tewari and Prithviraj Chavan of the group of 23, which had written to party chief Sonia Gandhi in 2020 for large scale organisational reform, have put their weight behind Kharge by becoming his proposers instead of backing Tharoor who was a prominent member of the grouping.

    Kharge said all senior leaders and youth leaders urged him to contest the polls as no member of the Gandhi family — Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra — wanted to become the party chief.

    “All my colleagues told me to fight the party president poll and on their calling and encouragement, I got inspiration as they extended their cooperation because Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi do not want to become president,” he said.

    Kharge asserted that he had not entered the poll fray to oppose anyone but to strengthen the Congress through his views and to take forward the party ideology.

    He said that in line with ‘one person, one post’ principle of the party, he resigned as Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha on the day he filed the nomination.

    Kharge elaborated on his political journey of struggles and successes, and asserted that working for a party is not a part-time job but a full-time work.

    “I have been working full-time. If I sat in Parliament then I would get up only in the evening at the time of shut down. It is my habit that whatever I take up, I work sincerely,” he said.

    Asked about Tharoor’s remarks that Kharge is a candidate of continuity and status quo, the Rajya Sabha MP said, “He (Tharoor) may have his views. The status quo and reforms he talks of will be decided by the 9,300-odd delegates, after that a committee will be formed (Congress Working Committee). The committee as a whole will decide all policy matters that will be formulated by consensus and we will implement that. It will not be done by one person. For me the key word is ‘Hum (We)’ instead of ‘main (Me). We will decide together and wherever there are shortcomings, we will take action,” he said.

    Kharge said senior leaders urged him to contest in view of the pressing issues facing the country such as high unemployment, rising inflation, widening gap between the rich and the poor and the BJP not fulfilling any of its promises.

    “Will always work to take forward party’s principles and ideology,” he said.

    Rejecting claims that he was the official candidate and the BJP’s criticism that the Gandhi family will wield real power, Kharge said the BJP always tries to undermine the Congress.

    “When did they (BJP) have elections, do they have an election authority? How many delegates they have? Who elected J P Nadda? Have their presidents been elected in polls.

    In the Congress, we have election authority, delegates, voting power, candidates in fray.

    Still they (BJP) are saying election is not happening, the Gandhi family is controlling,” he said.

    Kharge said the Gandhi family has sacrificed a lot for this country and pointed out that Sonia Gandhi did not even want to join politics and was persuaded on the pretext that the country needs her services and she strengthened the party.

    “For 10 years, we were in government, did she try to become PM or efforts made to make Rahul Gandhi PM. Her sacrifice for the party is very big. Rahul Gandhi is undertaking the Bharat Jodo Yatra not just for the party but is fighting against unemployment, to bring unity among people. So, when you get to learn something you must. I will consult them and other senior leaders, but that does not mean that I did not learn anything in 50 years,” he said.

    “I will consult the Gandhi family and will take good things from them and also implement and inculcate them,” he said.

    Dismissing suggestions that he is Gandhis’ candidate, Kharge said all senior leaders had come out in his support during the day of the nominations.

    Talking about Tharoor’s phone call to him after nominations, Kharge said he told him that it would be “better to have a consensus candidate to which he (Tharoor) said that there should be a fight in a democracy, and then I said ok”.

    “When a candidate decides to contest, how I can stop him. So, he is fighting and he is my younger brother. It is a family matter and we have to stay united today and tomorrow,” Kharge asserted.

    He also said he was not fighting the polls as a Dalit leader but as a Congress worker who has served the party for 55 years.

    Kharge and Tharoor were left in the fray in the Congress presidential poll after former Jharkhand minister K N Tripathi’s nomination was rejected on Saturday.

    The polling, if needed, will be held on October 17.

    The counting of votes will be taken up on October 19 and the results will be declared the same day.

    More than 9,000 Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) delegates will vote in the poll.

  • Congress chief polls | Shashi Tharoor: A man of words and many independent moves

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: By filing his nomination as Congress president on Friday, Shashi Tharoor has shown he is no ‘quockerwodger’ – a word he introduced into our lexicon – acting on the instructions of an influential third party.

    In fact, the bestseller author, wordsmith, former UN diplomat and social media ‘pioneer’ with 8.3 million followers has demonstrated he is quite the opposite of a ‘quockerwodger’, a politically loaded term for a wooden puppet, and is instead independent-minded, making moves on his own terms.

    As speculation over who would be in the race for the Congress president mounted and most of his party colleagues demurred, Tharoor was the first off the block to declare he would contest.

    The 66-year-old filed his nomination at the office of the Congress’ central election authority Madhusudan Mistry on Friday, the last day of the nomination process for the top post in the party long dominated by the Gandhi family.

    Tharoor, seen as a rebel and one of the group of 23 leaders who wrote to Sonia Gandhi in 2020 seeking large-scale reforms, now takes on veteran Mallikarjun Kharge, widely seen to be backed by senior leaders and tipped to win.

    The longer the Congress waits to get its act together, the greater the risk of a steady erosion of our traditional vote bank and their gravitation towards our political competitors.

    “Which is why I have long been an outspoken advocate for free and transparent elections within the party, including for the post of president,” the forthright former Union minister told PTI.

    Those who have followed Tharoor’s career path say two things — he is full of surprises and up for a fight without being deterred by the odds stacked against him.

    READ HERE | Congress should stand for change, not surprised establishment backing Kharge: Tharoor

    Born in London in 1956, Tharoor graduated with an honours in history from Delhi’s prestigious St Stephen’s College where he was also the president of the student’s union.

    He did his masters from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Medford, US, and completed a PhD from there in 1978.

    Defying the politician stereotype, Tharoor went on to have a distinguished career in the UN.

    During his stint at the UN, he shouldered several key responsibilities in peace-keeping after the Cold War and serving as senior adviser to the secretary-general, in addition to his role as under-secretary general for Communications and Public Information.

    Tharoor, who was chosen as India’s official candidate for the post of secretary general, finished second of seven candidates in the 2006 election, which was won by former South Korean diplomat and politician Ban Ki-moon.

    His stomach for a fight against daunting odds was perhaps first displayed in that electoral fight.

    Three years later, he retired as an international civil servant and made a lateral entry into politics in 2009 to be elected as MP from Thiruvananthapuram for the first time on a Congress ticket.

    Though his political journey began at 53, he took giant strides as a politician after winning the Lok Sabha election.

    His candidacy was opposed by a section of leaders of the Kerala Congress who viewed him as an outsider.

    Tharoor, however, won by a comfortable margin over his nearest opponent from the Communist Party of India.

    ALSO READ | Mallikarjun Kharge​, a Gandhi family loyalist poised to be second Congress chief from Karnataka

    He was appointed Union minister of state for External Affairs in the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

    Tharoor is a pioneer in using social media as an instrument of political interaction.

    He was India’s most-followed politician on Twitter till 2013 when he was overtaken by current Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

    The often outspoken politician, making headlines for his politics and sometimes also for throwing little-used words that have his Twitter followers reaching for the dictionary, finds himself at the centre of controversy every now and then.

    In 2009, for instance, in the early days of his political career, he made a comment about travelling ‘cattle class’ for which he had to apologise.

    He was also accused of having a questionable interest in a cricket team from the Kerala city of Kochi while he was a minister.

    He resigned from the MEA in April 2010.

    His personal life saw a tragic turn in January 2014 when his wife Sunanda Pushkar was found dead in a suite of a luxury hotel here.

    The couple was staying in the hotel as Tharoor’s official bungalow of Tharoor was being renovated at the time.

    Tharoor was later charged under section 498A (husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty) and 306 (abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code by Delhi Police.

    A Delhi court discharged him in the case last year.

    The year of his wife’s death was also when he won a second Lok Sabha term from Thiruvananthapuram, swimming against the tide of a massive Narendra Modi wave.

    However, his victory margin came down from a staggering 99,998 votes in 2009 to over 15,000.

    In 2019, he won the seat for a third time, defeating his main rival and BJP-NDA candidate Kummanam Rajashekharan by a margin of 99,989 votes.

    In July 2020, Tharoor crossed a milestone by becoming the longest-serving parliamentarian representing the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency.

    Tharoor broke the record of Congress’ A Charles, who represented the constituency for 4,047 days from 1984 to 1991.

    An active parliamentarian and amongst the best orators in the House, Tharoor has also been chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs and is currently Chair of the parliamentary panel on information and technology and communications.

    However, it has been reported that the government has decided to take the chair-ship of the panel from the Congress.

    Always known to speak his mind, the ‘G 23’ leader has reiterated time and again that his sole intention of being among the signatories to the letter to Sonia Gandhi was reform of the party.

    However, he has been treated by many in the party as a sort of a rebel with many Gandhi loyalists attacking him from time to time.

    Tharoor has been a prolific writer and authored about 23 books, including ‘The Great Indian Novel’, ‘An Era of Darkness’, ‘Why I Am A Hindu’ and ‘The Paradoxical Prime Minister’.

    He has also won several awards and bestowed with prestigious honours such as the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for the Best Book of the Year in the Eurasian Region for ‘The Great Indian Novel’, Spain’s Commander of the Order of Charles III by King of Spain, the Sahitya Akademi Award for his book ‘An Era of Darkness’ as well as France’s Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur.

    Tharoor’s hope in the polls is best summed up by the lines of Urdu poet Majrooh Sultanpuri which the MP had tweeted this week – “Main akela hi chala tha janib-e-manzil magar log saath aate gaye aur karvaan banta gaya (I began my journey alone, people joined in and the caravan kept on growing).”

    NEW DELHI: By filing his nomination as Congress president on Friday, Shashi Tharoor has shown he is no ‘quockerwodger’ – a word he introduced into our lexicon – acting on the instructions of an influential third party.

    In fact, the bestseller author, wordsmith, former UN diplomat and social media ‘pioneer’ with 8.3 million followers has demonstrated he is quite the opposite of a ‘quockerwodger’, a politically loaded term for a wooden puppet, and is instead independent-minded, making moves on his own terms.

    As speculation over who would be in the race for the Congress president mounted and most of his party colleagues demurred, Tharoor was the first off the block to declare he would contest.

    The 66-year-old filed his nomination at the office of the Congress’ central election authority Madhusudan Mistry on Friday, the last day of the nomination process for the top post in the party long dominated by the Gandhi family.

    Tharoor, seen as a rebel and one of the group of 23 leaders who wrote to Sonia Gandhi in 2020 seeking large-scale reforms, now takes on veteran Mallikarjun Kharge, widely seen to be backed by senior leaders and tipped to win.

    The longer the Congress waits to get its act together, the greater the risk of a steady erosion of our traditional vote bank and their gravitation towards our political competitors.

    “Which is why I have long been an outspoken advocate for free and transparent elections within the party, including for the post of president,” the forthright former Union minister told PTI.

    Those who have followed Tharoor’s career path say two things — he is full of surprises and up for a fight without being deterred by the odds stacked against him.

    READ HERE | Congress should stand for change, not surprised establishment backing Kharge: Tharoor

    Born in London in 1956, Tharoor graduated with an honours in history from Delhi’s prestigious St Stephen’s College where he was also the president of the student’s union.

    He did his masters from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Medford, US, and completed a PhD from there in 1978.

    Defying the politician stereotype, Tharoor went on to have a distinguished career in the UN.

    During his stint at the UN, he shouldered several key responsibilities in peace-keeping after the Cold War and serving as senior adviser to the secretary-general, in addition to his role as under-secretary general for Communications and Public Information.

    Tharoor, who was chosen as India’s official candidate for the post of secretary general, finished second of seven candidates in the 2006 election, which was won by former South Korean diplomat and politician Ban Ki-moon.

    His stomach for a fight against daunting odds was perhaps first displayed in that electoral fight.

    Three years later, he retired as an international civil servant and made a lateral entry into politics in 2009 to be elected as MP from Thiruvananthapuram for the first time on a Congress ticket.

    Though his political journey began at 53, he took giant strides as a politician after winning the Lok Sabha election.

    His candidacy was opposed by a section of leaders of the Kerala Congress who viewed him as an outsider.

    Tharoor, however, won by a comfortable margin over his nearest opponent from the Communist Party of India.

    ALSO READ | Mallikarjun Kharge​, a Gandhi family loyalist poised to be second Congress chief from Karnataka

    He was appointed Union minister of state for External Affairs in the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

    Tharoor is a pioneer in using social media as an instrument of political interaction.

    He was India’s most-followed politician on Twitter till 2013 when he was overtaken by current Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

    The often outspoken politician, making headlines for his politics and sometimes also for throwing little-used words that have his Twitter followers reaching for the dictionary, finds himself at the centre of controversy every now and then.

    In 2009, for instance, in the early days of his political career, he made a comment about travelling ‘cattle class’ for which he had to apologise.

    He was also accused of having a questionable interest in a cricket team from the Kerala city of Kochi while he was a minister.

    He resigned from the MEA in April 2010.

    His personal life saw a tragic turn in January 2014 when his wife Sunanda Pushkar was found dead in a suite of a luxury hotel here.

    The couple was staying in the hotel as Tharoor’s official bungalow of Tharoor was being renovated at the time.

    Tharoor was later charged under section 498A (husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty) and 306 (abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code by Delhi Police.

    A Delhi court discharged him in the case last year.

    The year of his wife’s death was also when he won a second Lok Sabha term from Thiruvananthapuram, swimming against the tide of a massive Narendra Modi wave.

    However, his victory margin came down from a staggering 99,998 votes in 2009 to over 15,000.

    In 2019, he won the seat for a third time, defeating his main rival and BJP-NDA candidate Kummanam Rajashekharan by a margin of 99,989 votes.

    In July 2020, Tharoor crossed a milestone by becoming the longest-serving parliamentarian representing the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency.

    Tharoor broke the record of Congress’ A Charles, who represented the constituency for 4,047 days from 1984 to 1991.

    An active parliamentarian and amongst the best orators in the House, Tharoor has also been chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs and is currently Chair of the parliamentary panel on information and technology and communications.

    However, it has been reported that the government has decided to take the chair-ship of the panel from the Congress.

    Always known to speak his mind, the ‘G 23’ leader has reiterated time and again that his sole intention of being among the signatories to the letter to Sonia Gandhi was reform of the party.

    However, he has been treated by many in the party as a sort of a rebel with many Gandhi loyalists attacking him from time to time.

    Tharoor has been a prolific writer and authored about 23 books, including ‘The Great Indian Novel’, ‘An Era of Darkness’, ‘Why I Am A Hindu’ and ‘The Paradoxical Prime Minister’.

    He has also won several awards and bestowed with prestigious honours such as the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for the Best Book of the Year in the Eurasian Region for ‘The Great Indian Novel’, Spain’s Commander of the Order of Charles III by King of Spain, the Sahitya Akademi Award for his book ‘An Era of Darkness’ as well as France’s Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur.

    Tharoor’s hope in the polls is best summed up by the lines of Urdu poet Majrooh Sultanpuri which the MP had tweeted this week – “Main akela hi chala tha janib-e-manzil magar log saath aate gaye aur karvaan banta gaya (I began my journey alone, people joined in and the caravan kept on growing).”

  • Former Jharkhand minister K N Tripathi files nomination for Congress presidential poll

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Former Jharkhand minister K N Tripathi on Friday submitted his nomination papers for the Congress president election.

    Tripathi handed over the nomination papers to Madhusudan Mistry, chairman of the Congress’ Central Election Authority, at the AICC headquarters here.

    Besides Tripathi, former Union minister Shashi Tharoor has filed his nomination papers for the election of the Congress president.

    Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge is also scheduled to file his nomination.

    Tripathi served as the national president of the Congress-affiliated Indian National Trade Union Congress (Tripathi faction).

    NEW DELHI: Former Jharkhand minister K N Tripathi on Friday submitted his nomination papers for the Congress president election.

    Tripathi handed over the nomination papers to Madhusudan Mistry, chairman of the Congress’ Central Election Authority, at the AICC headquarters here.

    Besides Tripathi, former Union minister Shashi Tharoor has filed his nomination papers for the election of the Congress president.

    Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge is also scheduled to file his nomination.

    Tripathi served as the national president of the Congress-affiliated Indian National Trade Union Congress (Tripathi faction).

  • Rajasthan political crisis: Congress in a quandary even as it shows Gehlot his place

    By Online Desk

    NEW DELHI: The Congress on Tuesday continued to grapple with the political crisis in Rajasthan after party observers termed as “indiscipline” the action of 92 MLAs in the state the attempt to set conditions for the appointment of Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s successor.

    The two observers Mallikarjun Kharge and Ajay Maken are preparing a written report on the developments in Rajasthan and are likely to submit it by the evening.

    All eyes will be on Sonia Gandhi to see what action she recommends after getting the written report.

    Congress treasurer Pawan Kumar Bansal and MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday collected nomination forms for the Congress president’s polls, even as Gehlot and his loyalists are considering their next political move. 

    Gehlot’s loyalists were slammed by the party high command Monday for their revolt.

    Gehlot loyalists had submitted resignation letters to Assembly Speaker CP Joshi on Sunday evening, in an apparent bid to put pressure on the central leadership to pick someone from the Gehlot camp as CM if the veteran leader is elected the party president. The loyalist MLAs indicated that they were against the appointment of Sachin Pilot, who led a rebellion against Gehlot in 2020, to the post.

    The question now is — will Gehlot now try to save his Chief Minister’s chair after clear signals were sent from the high command stating that strict action would be initiated against Gehlot and his loyalists for “indiscipline?” Or would he still run for the Congress president’s post? Gehlot camp has clearly stated that in the current circumstances — after the two observers deputed by the high command to Rajasthan expressed displeasure against the Gehlot camp and left for Delhi — Gehlot himself is not keen to contest the election of the party president now and nor do his supporters want him to do so.

    His camp feels that Gehlot’s image is being tarnished deliberately.

    Our correspondent in Rajasthan reports that all eyes are on what possible action Congress’ high command will initiate against two Gehlot loyalists — Rajasthan cabinet minister Shanti Dhariwal and Speaker CP Joshi — or even, Gehlot, for “indiscipline.”

    The high command has already expressed its displeasure over the outburst of the two legislators against its deputed observers Mallikarjun Kharge and Ajay Maken.

    The Gehlot camp’s anger appears to be aggravated by Rahul Gandhi’s “one party, one post” diktat ahead of the Congress presidential polls, and, secondly, for sending observers to Rajasthan.

    Before taking any strict action against the Gehlot camp, Congress high command must be weighing the fact that unlike Amarinder in Punjab, Gehlot is much stronger on the ground and the numbers are in favour of him. Gehlot has the support of over 80 MLAs. Also with him are 13 Independent MLAs.

    Two years ago when Sachin Pilot rebelled against the Gehlot government, he had the support of just 18 MLAs, and yet the government was in trouble. 

    Meanwhile, reports quoting sources say that the decision on the Rajasthan CM’s position will be likely taken after the Congress Presidential elections next month.

    Names of senior party leaders Kharge, Kamal Nath, Digvijaya Singh, Sushilkumar Shinde, Mukul Wasnik and Kumari Selja are now also doing the rounds for the post, as reported by PTI.

    IANS news agency quoting sources in Congress reported that Rahul Gandhi’s choice is said to be K.C. Venugopal.

    However, no final decision has been made yet.

    Senior Congress leader Kamal Nath, who met Sonia Gandhi on Monday, said that he did not want to become the party president and wanted to continue to work for the party in Madhya Pradesh.

    “I want to remain in MP,” Kamal Nath, a former Chief Minister of the state, told IANS.

    The political drama in Rajasthan has made the Congress leadership think about a plan B for the top party post. Time is running out as the election process has started and September 30 is the last day of nomination.

    (With inputs from Rajesh Asnani, PTI, and IANS)

    NEW DELHI: The Congress on Tuesday continued to grapple with the political crisis in Rajasthan after party observers termed as “indiscipline” the action of 92 MLAs in the state the attempt to set conditions for the appointment of Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s successor.

    The two observers Mallikarjun Kharge and Ajay Maken are preparing a written report on the developments in Rajasthan and are likely to submit it by the evening.

    All eyes will be on Sonia Gandhi to see what action she recommends after getting the written report.

    Congress treasurer Pawan Kumar Bansal and MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday collected nomination forms for the Congress president’s polls, even as Gehlot and his loyalists are considering their next political move. 

    Gehlot’s loyalists were slammed by the party high command Monday for their revolt.

    Gehlot loyalists had submitted resignation letters to Assembly Speaker CP Joshi on Sunday evening, in an apparent bid to put pressure on the central leadership to pick someone from the Gehlot camp as CM if the veteran leader is elected the party president. The loyalist MLAs indicated that they were against the appointment of Sachin Pilot, who led a rebellion against Gehlot in 2020, to the post.

    The question now is — will Gehlot now try to save his Chief Minister’s chair after clear signals were sent from the high command stating that strict action would be initiated against Gehlot and his loyalists for “indiscipline?” Or would he still run for the Congress president’s post?
     
    Gehlot camp has clearly stated that in the current circumstances — after the two observers deputed by the high command to Rajasthan expressed displeasure against the Gehlot camp and left for Delhi — Gehlot himself is not keen to contest the election of the party president now and nor do his supporters want him to do so.

    His camp feels that Gehlot’s image is being tarnished deliberately.

    Our correspondent in Rajasthan reports that all eyes are on what possible action Congress’ high command will initiate against two Gehlot loyalists — Rajasthan cabinet minister Shanti Dhariwal and Speaker CP Joshi — or even, Gehlot, for “indiscipline.”

    The high command has already expressed its displeasure over the outburst of the two legislators against its deputed observers Mallikarjun Kharge and Ajay Maken.

    The Gehlot camp’s anger appears to be aggravated by Rahul Gandhi’s “one party, one post” diktat ahead of the Congress presidential polls, and, secondly, for sending observers to Rajasthan.

    Before taking any strict action against the Gehlot camp, Congress high command must be weighing the fact that unlike Amarinder in Punjab, Gehlot is much stronger on the ground and the numbers are in favour of him. Gehlot has the support of over 80 MLAs. Also with him are 13 Independent MLAs.

    Two years ago when Sachin Pilot rebelled against the Gehlot government, he had the support of just 18 MLAs, and yet the government was in trouble. 

    Meanwhile, reports quoting sources say that the decision on the Rajasthan CM’s position will be likely taken after the Congress Presidential elections next month.

    Names of senior party leaders Kharge, Kamal Nath, Digvijaya Singh, Sushilkumar Shinde, Mukul Wasnik and Kumari Selja are now also doing the rounds for the post, as reported by PTI.

    IANS news agency quoting sources in Congress reported that Rahul Gandhi’s choice is said to be K.C. Venugopal.

    However, no final decision has been made yet.

    Senior Congress leader Kamal Nath, who met Sonia Gandhi on Monday, said that he did not want to become the party president and wanted to continue to work for the party in Madhya Pradesh.

    “I want to remain in MP,” Kamal Nath, a former Chief Minister of the state, told IANS.

    The political drama in Rajasthan has made the Congress leadership think about a plan B for the top party post. Time is running out as the election process has started and September 30 is the last day of nomination.

    (With inputs from Rajesh Asnani, PTI, and IANS)