Sources said senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor is exploring the possibility of contesting for the post of Congress president, though he is yet to take a final call on it. He said that he has not made up his mind but can take a decision on it soon.
While Tharoor declined to comment on whether he would throw his hat in the ring, he wrote an article for Malayalam daily ‘Mathrubhumi’ calling for “free and fair” elections. In the article, he has said that ideally the party should have also announced elections for the dozen CWC seats that are about to be elected.
Tharoor said, “Allowing party members from AICC and PCC representatives to determine who will lead the party from these key positions, legitimizing the incoming leaders’ group and giving them a credible way to lead the party.” It will help in delivering the mandate.” 23 was among a group of leaders who wrote to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi in 2020 demanding organizational reforms. “Nevertheless, electing a new president is a start towards the revival of the Congress, which the Congress desperately needs,” said the Thiruvananthapuram MP.
Tharoor said the election has other beneficial effects as well – for example, “we have seen global interest in the British Conservative Party during his recent leadership race, a phenomenon we have already seen in 2019, when a dozen candidates had contested to replace Theresa May, and Boris Johnson emerged on top”. Repeating a similar scenario for the Congress would increase national interest in the party and once again drive more voters towards the Congress party, he said in the article.
“For this reason, I expect many candidates to come forward to present themselves for consideration. Putting forth their vision for the party and the nation will certainly arouse public interest,” Tharoor said. needs to be renewed, while the need to fill the most important leadership position naturally lies with the Congress President.
Given the current state of the party, the perception of the crisis and the national picture, whoever assumes the post of president will undoubtedly need to achieve the twin goals of activating the Congress party workers and motivating the voters. “They must have a plan to address the problems of the party, as well as a vision for India. After all, a political party is a means to serve the country, not an end in itself,” he Told.
“Either way, a free and fair election process would be a healthy way to resolve this issue. It would legitimize the mandate being given to the incoming President,” he said. While out in , Tharoor wrote that the latest in a steady round of departures is fueling media speculation and is a daily dose for the party.
In turn, the Congress worker, which has already had to deal with the gloom of the recent election results, runs the risk of further demoralization, he said. “The exit of valuable allies doesn’t help. I personally regret these departures, as I wanted these friends to remain in the party and fight to improve it,” he said.
“As a signatory to the so-called ‘G-23’ letter, I must say that this has been creating concern for many months among the party members and well wishers who want a re-active Congress. These concerns are about the functioning of the party. and not its ideology or values. Our sole intention was to strengthen and revive the party, not to divide or weaken it,” wrote Tharoor. Facing internal turmoil, the Congress announced on Sunday that the election of its president would be held on October 17, adding that it was the only party in the country to follow such a democratic practice.
The result will be declared on October 19. The notification for the election will be issued on September 22, while the process of filing nominations will begin from September 24 and will continue till September 30.
At the press conference where the party announced the schedule, AICC general secretary organization KC Venugopal said, “Anyone can contest the elections. It is an open election.” The CWC meeting came amid public encouragement by several leaders, including Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. Rahul Gandhi To return as party chief. However, uncertainty and suspense remain on this issue. Several party insiders say that Rahul Gandhi is firm on his stand that he will not be the AICC president.
Gehlot had on Wednesday tried to rubbish reports of him being the frontrunner for the post of Congress President and said that efforts would be made till the last minute to convince Rahul Gandhi to take over the reins of the party again. Rahul Gandhi had resigned from the post of Congress President after the party suffered a second consecutive defeat in the 2019 parliamentary elections.
Sonia Gandhi, who took the reins of the party again as interim president, had also offered to step down in August 2020 after an open rebellion by a section of leaders, called the G-23, but the CWC asked her to continue. was requested.
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