Guwahati: Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge announced on Friday that he has submitted his nomination for president of the Congress and that he was working to bring about a significant shift inside the organisation.
The Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha has been backed by leaders like Manish Tewari, Anand Sharma and others of the Group of 23, those who are fighting for reforms in the party and his candidature was proposed by senior leaders including A K Antony, Ashok Gehlot, Digvijaya singh, Mukul Wasnik, Pramod Tiwari among others. “I thank all the leaders, workers, delegates and ministers who came in support of me today and encouraged me. We will see the results on October 17. I am hopeful that I will win,” Kharge said addressing a press conference after filing nominations at All India Congress Committee office in Delhi today.
The 80-year-old leader claimed, “I have been tied to the ideology of the Congress since my early years. I used to campaign for the same Gandhi-Nehru doctrine when I was in class 8 and 9,” adding that the party’s revival efforts would continue.
Manish Tewari, the leader of the Congress, backed Kharge soon after he submitted his nomination “senior leader of the Congress party Mallikarjun Kharge. I’ve come here with Anand Sharma to support his nomination.”
Notably, Shashi Tharoor, a Congress MP and G-23 member, and KN Tripathi, a leader in Jharkhand, have both submitted their nominations for the position of party president today.
Tharoor referred to Kharge as the Bhishma Pita of the Congress and stated that he would not be withdrawing his name from the race and that there would be no rivalry amongst the contenders.
Tewari and Tharoor are both members of the G-23 club of the party’s senior leaders. According to reports, Tewari was considering running for office himself.
“In favour of his (Kharge’s) nomination, we have arrived. We shall always consider Shashi Tharoor to be a friend. Here are some who have lived their entire lives in Congress. Digvijaya Singh graciously withdrew his name from consideration. Unanimity would be advantageous, “Tewari added.
Congress leader Salman Khurshid said, “Shashi Tharoor has made an effort to preserve a custom. They both claimed that this (the fight) would strengthen Congress.”
Digvijaya Singh, a former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, withdrew from the contest for the Congress presidency earlier today. Likewise, he expressed his support for Kharge and stated that he “cannot imagine of contesting an election” against such a powerful figure.
Singh withdrew from the race as the second member of the Congress following Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot in response to the political unrest in his state. Gehlot declared that he will propose to Kharge.
“The nomination of Kharge Ji has been decided by our senior leaders. I’ll make the proposal to him “Gehlot said.
Congress MP Deepender S Hooda also praised Kharge’s selection.
“I support Mallikarjun Kharge’s nomination for the position of Congress president and am optimistic that he will win. He has increased the public’s voice in Parliament over the years. His nomination papers bear my proposer signature “he said.