Ashok Gehlot gears up for Congress presidential polls, rallies Rajasthan MLAs in late-night meeting
As Ashok Gehlot remains the frontrunner for the Congress president post, he gathered his MLAs in Rajasthan late at night on Tuesday.
The Congress presidential elections 2022 are just a few short weeks away, with Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Kerala MP Shashi Tharoor remaining the speculated top choices for the post, with Rahul Gandhi reluctant to participate.
Ashok Gehlot, who is expected to be the frontrunner for the Congress president post, held a late-night meeting in Rajasthan on Tuesday, possibly preparing for the electoral battle next month. It must be noted that this meeting took place when his political rival Sachin Pilot was out of the state.
Amid rumours that Gehlot will be the new Congress president with Sonia Gandhi reportedly batting for the Congress leader to take over, a source has said that he will continue to remain the Chief Minister of Rajasthan, as per media reports.
As per speculations and media reports, Ashok Gehlot is the top choice of the Gandhi family to become the next Congress president, but he remains reluctant to give up his CM seat in Rajasthan. It is being speculated that if Gehlot becomes the party chief, Sachin Pilot will be the next Rajasthan CM.
Meanwhile, sources have also said that though the Rajasthan CM will be filing his nomination for the presidential polls on Monday, he will try to persuade former party chief Rahul Gandhi to step into the race and assume the top party post.
However, the Gandhi family will most likely not participate in the Congress president race, paving the way for a non-Gandhi leader to assume the top post after several years. Currently, Sonia Gandhi remains the interim Congress president.
Apart from Gehlot, several other top names have emerged in the Congress president race. As per media reports, Kerala MP Shashi Tharoor will also be standing in the race, though he does not seem to be the popular choice for Congress chief.
Other names that are expected to be a part of the Congress presidential polls are KC Venugopal and Bhupesh Baghel. The Congress presidential elections will be conducted on October 17, and the results are expected to be announced on October 19.