The Congress presidential polls now seem to be a straight fight between Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor and Ashok Gehlot. The Rajasthan Chief Minister is believed to be the first choice of the Gandhis — Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi.
Tharoor, a Minister in Congress-led UPA Governments, has been seeking transparent organisational poll, and is unlikely to get enough support from the delegates to clinch the top party post.
As a member of the G-23 grouping within the Congress, the vote Tharoor gets will reflect the level of support so called “dissidents” enjoy in the party.
On the other hand, Gehlot is a clear front runner due to his proximity with the Gandhis.
At the same time, efforts are underway to convince Rahul to run for the top post. Several State units — Tamil Nadu, Bihar, J&K, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Puducherry, Jharkhand, Assam, Gujarat —have passed resolutions backing him as party chief and more State units will soon follow.
AICC general secretary KC Venugopal said anybody can contest the Congress president’s poll which will be free and fair as well as transparent. Venugopal met Sonia and is reported to have discussed the organisational polls.
Asked if Rahul will contest, Venugopal said only the former can decide and he “has not told us anything”.
On resolutions being passed by various State units of the party seeking Rahul’s elevation to the top post, Venugopal said there is nothing wrong in that as party workers were expressing their feelings.
To a query specifically on Tharoor being a prospective candidate, he said, “Not only Tharoor, anybody who wants to contest, can contest.”
AICC sources said while the Gandhis are backing Gehlot, Sonia is learnt to have told Tharoor that she would maintain a “neutral position” in the event of an election for the party president’s post and “the party will not officially back anyone”.
A few senior party leaders maintained that the stage appeared to have been set “for a friendly fight between Tharoor and Gehlot”.
While Gehlot’s name did the rounds ever before the party issued the poll schedule, Tharoor is being seen as a late entrant in the race.
The new president would replace Sonia, the longest-serving party president who has been at the helm since 1998, barring the two years between 2017 and 2019 when Rahul took over.
The grand old party last saw a contest for the post in November 2000. Jitendra Prasada had lost to Sonia in 2000 and prior to that Sitaram Kesri had defeated Sharad Pawar and Rajesh Pilot in 1997.