New Delhi: In a first in over two decades, the upcoming Congress presidential elections is likely to witness a contest as Shashi Tharoor has thrown his hat in the ring. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, close to the Gandhis, is likely to challenge him.
Sources close to the paty said that the Congress party will not put up any official candidate, opening the contest of the party president election for all. Anyone who says permission sought or needed is wrong, sources said.
It confirmed that Shashi Tharoor will contest the election to be the next Congress President as Sonia Gandhi approved his candidature after he reached out to her in a meeting on Monday.
The grand old party will be releasing the list of delegates today for the party president election. The delegates make up the electoral college or the members who will elect party president.
This comes days after five Congress MPs had written to the party’s internal election body chief, Madhusudan Mistry, expressing concerns about transparency and fairness in the upcoming polls for the president’s post.