Adding more intrigue and interest to the Congress president election, veteran Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh on Thursday collected the nomination forms for the top party post.
Singh, who was participating in the party’s 3,570-km Bharat Jodo Yatra along with Rahul Gandhi, on Wednesday night, came to Delhi. He arrived at the party headquarters and took 10 sets of forms.
Speaking to the media, Singh said, “Today, I have come to take my nomination form and will, most probably, file my nomination tomorrow.”
When asked if he is going to give a fight to Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, he quipped, “Wait till the date of enrolment.” When pressed further that if he would withdraw his form, he refused to comment.
Earlier, Congress Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor has also taken nomination forms for the party’s top post. Tharoor will also be filing his nomination papers on Friday.
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Earlier, Gehlot was believed to be the frontrunner for the party’s top post and the apparent choice of the Gandhi family.
However, the ‘desert storm’ in Rajasthan on Sunday, when party MLAs supporting Gehlot held a separate parallel meeting and did not join the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting with the party observers Mallikarjun Kharge and Ajay Maken, dented his chances. The MLAs of Gehlot camp went to Speaker CP Joshi’s house and submitted their resignations.
Earlier on Thursday, party general secretary (organisations) KC Venugopal also met party interim chief Sonia Gandhi. Even Gehlot arrived in the national capital from Jaipur and is said to meet Sonia Gandhi later in the day.
The Congress is witnessing elections for the president post after a gap of 21 years. Sonia Gandhi remained at the top post of the party for 18 years from 2000 to 2017. In 2017, Rahul Gandhi became the party chief, which he quit after the 2019 Lok Sabha election drubbing. Sonia Gandhi has been holding the post of interim Congress chief.
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