Digvijaya Singh official nominee for Cong chief post

New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Thursday collected nomination papers for the party president election and is likely to file his nomination on Friday, making it official that the party veteran has got the nod from the high command to contest after the Congress' first family snubbed their first choice Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, who caused a major embarrassment.

In a new twist to the ongoing crisis in Rajasthan, Congress on Thursday hinted at a change of guard in the state in the next two days and there are possibilities that after losing the 'opportunity' to become the party president, the incumbent Rajasthan CM may be dropped as the state CM.

However, the final decision in this regard has to be taken by the party's interim president Sonia Gandhi.

With Digvijaya Singh in the race, it's now clear that the contest, if it happens, is going to be between him and Shashi Tharoor and both of them would have to submit their papers on Friday, which is the last day to file nominations.

The development comes soon after Gehlot announced that he was out of the race for the party's top post and has apologised to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi over his conduct by personally meeting her while Sachin Pilot against whom the entire plot was hatched by Gehlot is to meet Sonia shortly.

Talking to the media at the AICC headquarters, Singh said he has taken the nomination papers and will file his nominations on Friday. Asked if he was acting at the behest of the party leadership, he said: "I am responsible for myself. Wait till the date of withdrawal."

More than 10 Congress legislators from Madhya Pradesh will reach Delhi to be the proposers for Digvijaya Singh during his nomination filing. Notably Singh arrived in Delhi late on Wednesday night leaving the Bharat Jodo Yatra midway to collect the nomination papers for the party president's election.

Meanwhile, after a series of meetings to resolve the Rajasthan crisis, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said that the Congress president will decide on the Rajasthan chief minister's post within a day or two. The remarks of Venugopal came soon after Gehlot announced that he will not contest the Congress presidential polls as he took moral responsibility for the political crisis in his state, and said the decision on whether he would remain CM would be taken by the party supremo.

After meeting the party chief, Gehlot told reporters that he had apologised to Sonia Gandhi for Sunday's developments when MLAs supporting him defied the central observers and thwarted the move to hold a meeting of party legislators.

"It was my moral responsibility that the resolution should have been passed (in the CLP). So, I have decided that I won't contest (party president) election in these circumstances. It is my decision," Gehlot said.

Simultaneously, the party has also warned of strict disciplinary action against all Congress leaders at any level for making public statements against other leaders or about the party's internal matters.

"We are noticing statements of Congress leaders in Rajasthan regarding the party's internal matters and against other leaders. Strict disciplinary action will be initiated under the provisions of the Constitution of the Indian National Congress if any violation of this advisory is made," Venugopal said in a statement.