History beckons as Congress gears up for 4th election contest for AICC chief since Independence

New Delhi: With a contest for the Congress president's post almost certain, history beckons the party as it would be the fourth time since Independence that polling would decide who would lead it.

Also, with Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra deciding not to be in the running for the party president's post, a non-Gandhi would be at the helm after over 24 years. The Congress is set to see a contest for the post of party chief with Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, who has announced his candidature, expected to take on Shashi Tharoor who has also made his intentions clear by getting the nomination forms collected on Saturday.

The Congress has asserted that its internal democracy has no parallel in any other party and it is the only one to have a central election authority for organisational polls.

Asked about the significance of the polls this time, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "Speaking for myself, I am a firm believer in the Kamraj model of consensus but if elections are inevitable, the process has been announced, we are the only political party to have this process, and if elections are needed, they will be held on October 17." "The significance of it lies in the fact that the Congress party is the only party to have this system. We have provision for elections and we are the only party to set up an independent election authority to ensure free and fair organisational elections including to the post of Congress president," Ramesh said.

Recalling the 1950 election to the post of Congress president, Ramesh said then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's candidate Acharya Kripalani lost to Purushottam Das Tandon. He also recalled how Mahatma Gandhi's candidate for Congress presidency P Sitaramayya had lost to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in the pre-Independence era in 1939.

So on those two occasions the official candidates had lost, he said. "We know two candidates are likely, Mr Gehlot has announced that he is contesting and Mr Tharoor has certainly indicated his intention, so obviously there will be an election on October 17," Ramesh said.

He, however, asserted that the Congress' greatest contribution to Indian politics is the idea of consensus.

It was way back in 1950 that the Congress president polls were contested between Tandon and Kripalani. Surprisingly, Tandon, seen as a Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel loyalist, had won the contest back then trumping the PM's choice.

Tandon had won reportedly polling 1,306 votes against Kripalani's 1,092 votes.

The next election that needed a contest came 47 years later in 1997 when Sitaram Kesri, who squared off in a triangular contest with Sharad Pawar and Rajesh Pilot.

The third contest came in 2000 and this was the only time a Gandhi was challenged in elections with Jitendra Prasada taking on Sonia Gandhi.

The upcoming polls would certainly be historic as the new president would replace Sonia Gandhi, the longest-serving party president who has been at the helm since 1998, barring the two years between 2017 and 2019 when Rahul

Gandhi took over.

Also, the party will have its first non-Gandhi president after over 24 years.