Congress Presidential Polls: Tharoor Claims to Have Party Workers’ Support After Rahul Gandhi Meet

The election for the president of India’s main opposition party is slated for October 17. Rajasthan state chief Ashok Gehlot will face off with parliamentarian Shashi Tharoor.

Congress parliamentarian Shashi Tharoor claimed to have the support of party workers across the country on Monday in the run-up to the elections for the top party post.

He also announced that he had spoken to Rahul Gandhi in a 'courtesy call' on the sidelines of the ongoing ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, the political march to garner support for the party.

Asked about his candidature, the Thiruvanathapuram parliamentarian said: “You will see the support I enjoy when I submit my nomination paper. I will be in the fray if I get support from party workers from the majority of the states. So many people from different parts of the country have requested me to be in the fray.”

Meanwhile, speaking about the support of the Gandhi family, Tharoor said that he had spoken with all three family members – Sonia, Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra – proclaiming that they don’t have any issues with his candidature.

Notably, Tharoor’s candidature was opposed by some Congress members in Kerala state as Kodikunnil Suresh, the chief of the party’s state unit, urged Tharoor not to contest these party elections.

The process of filing nominations is being held from September 24-30 with scrutinization on October 1. The last date to withdraw the nomination is October 8.

Polling is scheduled for October 17, and the result will be announced on October 19. As many as 9,000 delegates will be voting to elect the new party chief.