Congress president polls: Will G-23 field another leader? Meeting, subsequent remarks spark speculation

Congress's dissident leaders, who used to be called G-23 before many of them quit the party or changed allegiance, met on Thursday evening at the house of Anand Sharma and discussed the upcoming organisational polls. However, some of the subsequent remarks implied they didn't expressly support Shashi Tharoor's candidature. 

The meeting was attended by former union minister Manish Tewari, former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

According to ANI sources, the leaders discussed the whole situation. A leader from the group is likely to file a nomination on Friday for the party's presidential polls. "Nobody has filed a nomination yet. Once it is done, there will be contemplation. The democratic process has begun. BS Hooda, Anand Sharma, Prithviraj Chavan and I sat for deliberation and discussed events," Manish Tewari said while leaving Anand Sharma's residence.

Asked whether G-23 will support candidates whose names have come for Congress presidential poll so far, Tewari said, "Days pass between collecting, filing and withdrawing nomination papers. The decision will be taken at that time. In English, it is called preponderance of probabilities. Let us see what happens tomorrow."

The G-23 leaders had written to Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi seeking organizational overhaul and internal elections at all levels. "It is good that polls are being held in the party in a democratic way. We thanked Sonia Gandhi for the free-fair polls. Let us see who will file the nomination. We have heard a few names. We will support the best candidate in the field," Prithviraj Chavan told ANI. 

The remarks of the G23 leaders indicate that they do not possibly see Shashi Tharoor representing their voice in the election. After the meeting, Anand Sharma arrived at Jodhpur House to meet Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, who was the top contender in the Congress president poll but has now said he will not fight for the post of Congress chief due to the political crisis in the state triggered by the action of his loyalists who were averse to Sachin Pilot becoming chief minister.Gehlot also met Mukul Wasnik and Pawan Kumar Bansal. 

Earlier Gehlot met Sonia Gandhi at her residence at 10 Janpath in the national capital."I met Rahul Gandhi in Kochi and requested him to fight the polls (for Congress President). When he didn't accept, I said I'll contest but now with that incident (political crisis in Rajasthan), I have decided not to contest the elections," CM Gehlot said.

With inputs from ANI