'Make Rahul Gandhi AICC president again' chorus grows louder in Cong
New Delhi: The 'Make Rahul Gandhi AICC president again' chorus is growing louder in the Congress with over half a dozen state units so far seeking his elevation to the top post, even as uncertainty and suspense persisted over whether he would take on the mantle.
After Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat units of the Congress demanded that Gandhi be made party chief, the party's Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir and Mumbai units passed resolutions calling for his elevation to the post of president on Monday. The Tamil Nadu Congress Committee on Monday adopted a unanimous resolution urging Rahul Gandhi to lead the party "for the victory of secular, democratic forces" in the 2024 Lok Sabha election. At the party's state general council meeting in Chennai, a resolution proposed by TNCC President K S Alagiri seeking Rahul Gandhi to assume the office of All India Congress Committee President was passed unanimously.
Bihar Congress and Maharashtra Congress also passed such resolutions. A similar resolution seeking Gandhi's elevation was passed by the Jammu and Kashmir unit of the party and the Mumbai Regional Congress Committee (MRCC).
In case Rahul Gandhi does not contest, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot was being seen as a front-runner, while senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who is among the G-23 leaders, was also contemplating running for the post of party president. Adding to the buzz over the possibility of his contesting Congress president polls, Tharoor on Monday endorsed a petition by a group of young party members seeking "constructive reforms" and met AICC chief Sonia Gandhi here.
The petition shared by Tharoor on Twitter sought reforms and a pledge by AICC president candidates to implement the Udaipur Declaration in its entirety if elected. The former Union minister said it had been signed by over 650 people so far.
"I welcome this petition that is being circulated by a group of young @INCIndia members, seeking constructive reforms in the Party. It has gathered over 650 signatures so far. I am happy to endorse it & to go beyond it," Tharoor tweeted with screenshots of the petition.
Meanwhile, party sources said that Sonia Gandhi welcomed the idea of more people contesting the polls and dispelled the notion that there would be an "official candidate".
The feedback by Gandhi on Tharoor's desire to contest is being seen by many as an encouragement to him to contest and he could announce his candidature in the next few days.
With regard to Tharoor's meeting, the Congress said no one needs a nod to contest the presidential election as it is an open, democratic and transparent process. Gehlot is being considered as a candidate for the top post favoured by the present dispensation, according to some sources. Gehlot, however, denies that he is a candidate and said that he will try and convince Rahul Gandhi to contest.
