JOIN USKharge enters Congress president race with blessings from Gandhis
Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge will file nomination for Congress president election on Friday afternoon, setting the stage for an electoral battle for supremacy in the party with senior party leader Shashi Tharoor.
Digvijaya Singh pulled out of the race, making the contest for the top Congress post a direct one between Tharoor and Kharge.
Digvijay Singh meets Mallikarjun Kharge. Indications emerge that Digvijaya may not file nominations, leading to a Kharge vs Shashi Tharoor contest for Congress president post. Final word awaited @DeccanHerald
— Shemin (@shemin_joy) September 30, 2022
Singh called on Kharge at his residence on Friday morning.
A staunch Gandhi family loyalist, Kharge (80) got the backing of the central leadership after Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot bowed out of the race, taking moral responsibility for the Jaipur ‘rebellion’.
The top leader from Karnataka was being considered as a possible candidate with the support of Gandhi family for some time but Gehlot was initially preferred. Party chief Sonia Gandhi herself had urged Gehlot in August to take a leadership role in Delhi by succeeding her.
Kharge's nomination also comes on a day Congress's ambitious Bharat Jodo Yatra entered Karnataka
It is to be seen whether Kharge will resign from the post of Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha before he files his nomination.
With the Congress leadership adamant on the 'one person, one post' norm adopted in Udaipur Conclave in May this year, the party will have to find a replacement for Kharge if he is elected to the party president post.
In such a scenario, the leadership is likely to choose an MP from North India or another region as Kharge belongs to South India. Digvijaya Singh or Mukul Wasnik could be considered for the post, while there are also senior leaders like P Chidambaram in Rajya Sabha.