New Delhi: A day before filing of nominations for the Congress' presidential polls kicks in, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and LS member Shashi Tharoor on Friday were both busy working out strategies for the October 17 contest.
Gehlot sought the blessings of Sai Baba in Shirdi along with Rajasthan unit chief Govind Singh Dotasara and senior Maharashtra leader Balasaheb Thorat on Friday ahead of his nomination, which is likely to be filed on September 26.
The nominations can be done from Sep 24 to 30. Before leaving Jaipur on September 20, Gehlot had asked the party MLAs to reach Delhi on Sep 26, the first day of the Navratri, for his nomination.
After the Shirdi visit, the CM will return to Jaipur, and over the next two days will hold one more interaction with MLAs, said sources familiar with the matter. Party insiders said given Gehlot’s stature and experience, the veteran had a natural edge over the other potential candidate, Shashi Tharoor.
In this regard, reaching out to the PCC delegates who will vote in the polls would not be much of a problem for the chief minister as most state leaders know him. "Let us see if a contest takes place or it happens through consensus," Gehlot told reporters at Kochi before leaving for Shirdi.
Also read:Gourav Vallabh slams Shashi Tharoor, backs Ashok Gehlot for AICC chief
According to sources, several party veterans are expected to accompany Gehlot during his nomination to express solidarity with the nominee, who enjoys the backing of both Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.
“In our friend circle, he is known as Gandhiji, given the way he lives by Mahatma Gandhian principles,” party veteran Digvijay Singh said in a reference to Gehlot. Singh denied reports that he too was a potential candidate for the key party post. Meanwhile, the camp of Shashi Tharoor, who represents Thiruvananthapuram in the Lok Sabha, too is busy preparing for the party polls.
Tharoor, who heads the All-India Professional Congress, was accompanied by its deputy chairman Salman Soz recently when the two met Central Election Authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry regarding the polls. The meeting fuelled speculations about Soz becoming the election manager for Tharoor.
“I am a friend and well-wisher of Tharoor, not his election manager. I have high regards for Gehlot but I believe that a contest would take place for the post of next Congress president,” Soz told ETV Bharat. “Tharoor is actively exploring his candidature. We will collect the forms from the CEC office in a few days and file the nomination papers,” he said.
Also read:Bharat Jodo Yatra: Kerala HC expresses displeasure over boards and flags on highways
According to Soz, a contest, rather than a consensus appointment for the key party post, would send out a message that the Congress had vibrant internal democracy unlike the BJP and other political parties. “We are all part of a family. It is like a contest between brothers and sisters. Whoever wins will be the president of the entire party,” he said.
According to Soz, the All-India Professional Congress functions under the main party and if some members of the group are also PCC delegates, they would be free to vote in the presidential polls as per their choice. Once the nominations are done, the campaigning part, involving reaching out to the PCC delegates and issuing appeals for support, would follow. “Each candidate has his or her own campaign strategy but we know it will be a small window,” he said.
