With the Gandhi family unlikely to throw its hat in the ring, the Congress might have to choose its next president from two veteran leaders with completely different personalities: Ashok Gehlot and Shashi Tharoor.
While Rajasthan Chief minister Gehlot will bring the rustic charm to his age-old approach to politics, Tharoor represents the suave and modern charisma that has a pull of its own.
According to Congress sources, party interim chief Sonia Gandhi, who was abroad for treatment, after her return on September 16, gave the nod to Tharoor to contest for the party president’s election.
Sonia Gandhi also told Tharoor that the Gandhi family would have no interference in the party’s presidential election.
Meanwhile, the source also indicated that Gehlot will also be filing his nomination for the party’s top post during Navratris beginning on September 26.
Both the leaders, however, have kept their cards close and chosen to remain silent on the issue.
Meanwhile, seven state Congress units have passed resolutions seeking Rahul Gandhi’s return to helm the party’s affairs.
Earlier, The New Indian reported that Tharoor has been getting several requests to lead the party.
The source said that Tharoor, a veteran party leader, has been approached by leading figures, including some prominent names from India’s literary and political circles, to contest for the post.
The source had earlier indicated that several letters and petitions were written to the former United Nations under-secretary-general to reignite hope in the demoralised party cadres.
Some even suggested to Tharoor that if fair play and a democratic election are not going to take place, then he should consider his presence in the party.
The source also said that Tharoor had already gathered international support from some key figures who expressed confidence in his experience and calibre. They have said that Tharoor is the last hope to restore India’s international image.
The name of Tharoor, a writer and public intellectual, cropped up for the top post after he wrote an article calling for a “free and fair” election. In the article, he said that ideally, the party should have announced elections for the dozen seats in the Congress Working Committee (CWC) itself.
Tharoor was one of the signatories of a letter written by 23 leaders to then-president Sonia Gandhi in August 2020 demanding active leadership. Four leaders from that group, Ghulam Nabi Prasad, Kapil Sibal, Jitin Prasad and Yoganand Shastri, have already resigned from the party.
The CWC, the highest decision-making body of the Congress, last month approved the new schedule of the elections for the party president. As per the new schedule, the date of notification is September 22 and the candidates can file their nominations between September 24 and 30. The last date of withdrawal will be October 8.
The date of the election (if needed) is October 17 (Monday) from 10 am to 4 pm. The date of counting and declaration of results (if needed) is October 19.
Sonia Gandhi has been helming the affairs of the party as its interim president since August 2019. Her son Rahul Gandhi resigned from the top post of the party in May 2018 after a drubbing in the Lok Sabha elections.