Kerala MP Shashi Tharoor hints at contesting for AICC post

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: MP Shashi Tharoor has dropped hints that he might be one of the candidates in AICC president election during a media interaction on Wednesday.
When asked if the AICC president should be from a Hindi-speaking area, Tharoor, who replied to the question in Hindi, said, "If a person from that region should be the president, then he must contest in the election. It's important to be an Indian. All born in India are 'Bharatheeyans', and even south Indians can converse well in Hindi."
Tharoor reiterated that an election would only be good for the party. Congress does not belong to a single person, and the decision to elect a president democratically will strengthen the party.
"We still have three more weeks for the official declaration. Be patient till then. I will answer whether I will contest or not later. Anyway, the election is good for a democratic party," said Tharoor.
He made it clear that he will not give up party membership irrespective of the developments that may happen in the party.
"Senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad left the Congress party ending a 50-year-old alliance due to some disputes with the leadership. I don't have a 50-year career in the party, but I will not leave my party for any reason. Some people may have issues in the party, and they may not be able to clear it. For them, the election will be a befitting reply," said Tharoor.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, KPCC president K Sudhakaran said Tharoor is qualified to contest for the party president's post. "If Tharoor wishes to contest the polls, he can do that as Congress is a democratic party and its members have the right to contest for the top party post," he said.
"What is there to wonder about? Is he not an eligible candidate? All members of the Indian National Congress have the right to contest as it is a democratic party. If I wish to contest, I could also do that. The party will accept it. If I get the votes, I will win," Sudhakaran said.