Three leaders file nomination for the Congress presidential election

Mallikarjun Kharge, Shashi Tharoor and K.N. Tripathi filed their nomination papers for the post of Congress president on September 30. Nominations for the post closed at 3 p.m.

Mr. Kharge, a party veteran from Karnataka, filed his appers in the presence of Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, former Union Minister Anand Sharma and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan among others

Mr. Sharma and Mr. Chavan are members of the ginger group that has written to party president Sonia Gandhi, seeking internal reforms. Mr. Tharoor was also signatory to the 2020 letter. Among the signatories to Mr. Kharge’s nomination are G-23 leader Manish Tewari and senior leaders A. K. Antony, Mr. Gehlot, Ambika Soni, Ajay Maken and Salman Khurshid.

After filing his nomination, Mr. Kharge said, “I thank senior leaders from all States for supporting me in the Congress presidential election.”

The Congress leader appealed to delegates to vote for him in the election, and adding that he is “fighting for big change”.

Mr. Tharoor filed his nomination after a visit to Raj Ghat. M.K. Raghavan was the only MP from Kerala to sign Mr. Tharoor’s nomination form.

When asked about Mr. Sharma and Mr. Chavan signing Mr. Kharge’s nomination papers, Mr. Tharoor said, “This tells you a story.” If the delegates want a status quoist, then they must vote for Mr. Kharge, and if they want to vote for reforms, they must vote for him, Mr. Tharoor added.

Mr. Tharoor, however, said he will go by the assurance of neutrality given by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi

Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh, who withdrew from the race, visited Mr. Kharge at his residence this morning. “I told him that I stand by him and can’t even think of contesting against him. I will be his proposer,” Mr. Singh told reporters.

Congress MP Deepender S. Hooda said, “I welcome Mallikarjun Kharge’s nomination for Congress president post and am confident that he will get elected. Over the years, he has raised the voice of the people in Parliament. I’ve signed his nomination papers as a proposer.”

Before filing his nomination papers, Mr. Tripathi, a Congress leader from Jharkhand, said, “I belong to a farmer’s family. The country is seeing that the son of a farmer who has experience serving with the Indian Air Force, a Minister in the State government and deputy leader of Jharkhand Assembly, can also contest for the post of AICC president.”

Nominations for the post closed at 3 p.m., and results will be declared on October 19.

With the Gandhis not running for the top post this time around, the grand old party is all set to get a non-Gandhi president after over 25 years.

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