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| Edited By: DNA Web Team |Source: DNA webdesk |Updated: Sep 20, 2022, 06:31 AM IST
The Congress presidential polls are near, and two candidates have emerged to be in the running for the top post of the party. As per sources, the battle for the Congress president post will remain between Shashi Tharoor and Ashok Gehlot.
Now, a source close to Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has revealed that senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has emerged as the first choice for the top post in the party. This comes amid reports that Gehlot will be the new president of Congress.
Ashok Gehlot, who is considered to be close to the Gandhi family, and Shashi Tharoor, who got the nod for the Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi, have emerged as top probable contenders for the office of the party chief in case Rahul Gandhi decides not to enter the fray.
Sources close to the Rajasthan Chief Minister said that he is "trying to persuade Rahul Gandhi" to contest rather than his own nomination. Meanwhile, there is a strong buzz that Gehlot will take a strong lead when it comes to the presidential polls.
While dismissing the claims that Gehlot is set to win the polls, the source said, “Ashok Gehlot says that rather than thinking of running for Congress President he is trying to persuade Rahul Gandhi to do so. He remains a loyal soldier of Sonia and Rahul Gandhi.”
Notably, Shashi Tharoor is a candidate of the G-23 group within the party to contest the poll. He garners the support of several MPs as along with him, five other MPs had written a letter to Congress central election authority chairman, Madhusudhan Mistry demanding that electoral roles should be made available to all.
The presidential elections for Congress are set to take place on October 17, and the results are expected to be announced on October 19. After the Gandhi family made clear that they won’t be contesting the polls, many senior party names like KC Venugopal, Kumari Selja, Malikarjun Kharge, Bhupesh Baghel, and others are being considered for the post.
(With ANI inputs)
