New Delhi: Amid Congress presidential polls buzz, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot Wednesday met party chief Sonia Gandhi in Delhi. The meeting came shortly after Gehlot indicated that he may enter the AICC presidential poll fray. Sources said the Congress presidential poll was on the agenda during the discussions between Gehlot and Sonia Gandhi.
The Rajasthan chief minister met Sonia Gandhi at her 10, Janpath residence and is expected to fly to Mumbai later in the day. He is expected to reach Kochi on Thursday and make a last-ditch effort to convince Rahul Gandhi to take over the reins of the party. Talking to reporters after landing here from Jaipur, Gehlot, in a clear indication that he could throw his hat in the ring for the Congress presidential poll, said he will file his nomination if the party people wish so and fulfil any responsibility given to him.
However, he also said he will make a last-ditch effort to convince Rahul Gandhi to take up the party president's post. Gehlot said he will take decisions with which the Congress is strengthened. "The party and the high-command have given me everything. I have been on posts for 40-50 years. For me, no post is important, I will fulfil any responsibility given to me," he said.
On Tuesday, Gehlot had told the Congress MLAs in Rajasthan that they will be asked to come to New Delhi if he decides to file his nomination for the party's presidential election. The meeting between Gehlot and Sonia Gandhi comes just a day before the Congress's central election authority would issue a notification for the All India Congress Committee (AICC) presidential poll.
Meanwhile, Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who is also preparing to contest the AICC president polls, met the party's central election authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry on Wednesday and enquired about nomination formalities. Tharoor reached the AICC headquarters here and spoke to Mistry at his office, a day before the Congress' central election authority is to issue the notification for the polls to elect the next Congress president.
Asked about his meeting with Tharoor, Mistry said that he cleared his enquiry on the voters' list, election agent and the filing of nomination. "He (Tharoor) will be sending a person on (Sep) 24th to collect the (nomination) forms. He was satisfied," Mistry said. The meeting was mainly about queries on formalities for filing of nomination, he said.
Also read: CM or party president, will abide by wishes of Congress: Gehlot
Tharoor had on Monday met Sonia Gandhi and expressed his intention to contest the upcoming AICC chief polls, while the Congress president conveyed that she would stay "neutral" in the elections, according to sources. Sonia Gandhi welcomed the idea of more people contesting the polls and dispelled the notion that there would be an "official candidate", they had said.
After over two decades, the Congress is likely to see a contest for the post of party chief, with Tharoor looking set to enter the fray and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot indicating that he could throw his hat in the ring if Rahul Gandhi does not agree to take on the party's reins. The process for filing nominations for the election will be held from September 24 to 30.
The date of scrutiny of the nomination papers would be October 1, while the last date of withdrawal of nominations would be October 8. The election, if there is more than one candidate, will take place on October 17. The counting of votes and the declaration of results would be on October 19. (Agency inputs)
