Congress faces presidential poll uncertainty amid Rajasthan crisis | Political Pulse News,The Indian Express
With high command not keen on Ashok Gehlot contesting anymore, talk revolves around who will take on Shashi Tharoor.
According to sources, senior Congress leader A K Antony has been called to Delhi for discussions. While sources close to Antony said the 81-year-old veteran would not contest, his arrival in Delhi tonight is an indication that Congress president Sonia Gandhi is reaching out to senior leaders to find a way out. On Monday, she held talks with veteran leader Kamal Nath who is not keen to leave Madhya Pradesh.
Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor has declared he will contest for the top post and will file his nomination papers on September 30, the day nominations close. The first indication that there is no clarity on who will take him on and that a consensus could be reached, perhaps at the last minute, became clear with All India Congress Committee (AICC) treasurer Pawan Kumar Bansal collecting two sets of nomination papers on Monday.
Bansal told The Indian Express he had collected the form as a proposer for someone else. Asked who the candidate will be, he said, “It will become clear soon.”
The Congress leader went on to say, “I took the forms yesterday before I left Delhi for Chandigarh. I am returning to Delhi tonight. And I will not be going to Chandigarh for the next few days. So I have taken the forms and given them to Chandigarh Congress president Harmohinder Singh Lucky after signing as one of the proposers. I have taken it on behalf of the Chandigarh Congress president. Since the delegates can’t come to Delhi … they can sign the forms as supporters.”
“We have taken forms last time also when Rahul Gandhi had contested,” he added.
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