NEW DELHI: Ashok Gehlot, the chief minister of Rajasthan, announced on September 21 that he will file his nomination and carry out whatever duties assigned to him if his party members want him to run for president of the Congress. This was a clear hint that he might do so.
Gehlot, reached to Kochi yesterday, promised to make one last-ditch effort to persuade Rahul Gandhi to become the party's president. Gehlot assured reporters that he will make decisions that will boost the Congress after arriving in New Delhi from Jaipur. "The high command and the party have given me everything. I've held positions for forty to fifty years. I will carry out whatever duties that are assigned to me; no position is essential to me," he declared.
He added that he had the trust of many Congress members in addition to the Gandhi family. According to Gehlot, "I am very lucky to have the love and affection of Congressmen and Congresswomen around the country, and they have faith in me. Therefore, I won't be able to decline if they ask me to fill out the nomination form. I'll talk to my friends. As the chief minister of Rajasthan, I was assigned the duty of carrying out that duty, and I shall keep doing so, added Gehlot.
In response to the question of whether maintaining the positions of chief minister and party president would go against the party's promises made in Udaipur, Gehlot said that this only applies to high command nominations; however, the presidential elections were open, and anyone among the 9,000 PCC delegates could run, regardless of whether they were an MP, MLA, or minister.
He gave the example that a minister in a State who runs for Congress president can continue to serve as a minister while also running for office. Time will tell if I stay. When asked if he will continue to serve as both party leader and CM, he responded, "I would prefer to stay where the party benefits from me. I will not back down. Gehlot said that he wants to assist the Congress in any capacity, whether it be in Rajasthan or Delhi.
"Party gave me everything; therefore, the post is not very significant to me. If it were up to me, I wouldn't accept any positions and instead, I'd accompany Rahul Gandhi on the Bharat Jodo Yatra in light of the fact that the country's democracy and Constitution are in threat. He claimed that the BJP was destroying the nation. He claimed that the UPA's rule was unequalled, that the BJP gained elections by manipulating religion, and that it is currently ruining the nation. He asserted that he won't be able to refuse the Congress members' desire for him to serve as party president or as the CM.
Gehlot declared that he would go to all lengths necessary to strengthen Congress for the sake of the nation and that he would not back down in the process. When asked if he would challenge Shashi Tharoor for the position of party leader, he responded that such a battle should take place since it would benefit the party's internal democracy.
"It was debated when Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, and then Nadda became the BJP president. The fact that the media mainly reports on the Congress polls is beneficial for us, he added.
Gehlot said that he would make one final pitch to Rahul Gandhi to persuade him to become the new party leader. According to Gehlot, it will boost the party's image if Rahul Gandhi participates in the Bharat Jodo Yatra while serving as president of the Congress. Gehlot would attend a function in Mumbai on Wednesday and go to Kochi on Thursday to participate in the party's "Bharat Jodo Yatra," an official spokeswoman later said.
On September 23, the Chief Minister will pray at Shirdi's Sai Baba Temple before attending community events in Maharashtra before flying back to Jaipur. Gehlot visited Congress leader Sonia Gandhi hours after he suggested he might run for president in the AICC election. According to sources, Gehlot and Sonia Gandhi discussed the upcoming Congress presidential election.
The chief minister of Rajasthan met Sonia Gandhi at her home at 10, Janpath, and is scheduled to fly to Mumbai later in the day. In the meantime, Tharoor, who plans to run for office, met Madhusudan Mistry, the chairman of the party's central election authority, at the AICC headquarters in New Delhi. Nominations for the election must be submitted between September 24 and September 30.
On October 1, nomination documents would be scrutinised, and on October 8, nominations could no longer be withdrawn. If there are many candidates, the election will be held on October 17, and if necessary, the votes will be counted and the results will be announced on October 19.
Gehlot will not leave 'CM' post even after becoming Congress President!
Shashi Tharoor in Congress office to check delegate list, Gehlot in Delhi