It's Tharoor vs Digvijaya in 'friendly contest' after Gehlot bows out

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor is scheduled to submit his nomination papers for the upcoming All India Congress Committee presidential elections on Saturday.

As per information, Tharoor will visit 24 Akbar Road, the AICC headquarters in New Delhi, at 12.15 pm tomorrow.

He will subsequently hold a press conference at 1 pm at his residence on 97 Lodhi Estate (opposite the Airforce Bal Bharti Public School).

Meanwhile, senior party leader Digvijaya Singh, another contender for the topmost position in the party, will also file his nomination tomorrow between 11 am and 3 pm.

Tharoor welcomed Singh's candidacy and said that both of them have agreed to consider it a friendly contest.

"Received a visit from @digvijaya_28 this afternoon. I welcome his candidacy for the presidency of our party. We both agreed that ours is not a battle between rivals but a friendly contest among colleagues. All we both want is that whoever prevails, @incIndia will win!," Tharoor tweeted.

Notably, another prominent contender for the party president’s post, Ashok Gehlot, recently announced that he will not contest the elections.

"I met Rahul Gandhi in Kochi and requested him to fight the polls (for Congress president). When he didn't accept, I said I'll contest but now with that incident (political crisis in Rajasthan), I have decided to not contest the elections," Gehlot said.

Gehlot's remarks came after the veteran leader met with the party's interim chief Sonia Gandhi at her residence at 10 Janpath in the national capital.

The Rajasthan CM further apologised for the ruckus in Rajasthan triggered by his loyalists over a possible leadership change in the state after Gehlot was set to file his nomination papers for the Congress chief’s election.

Gehlot said that whatever happened in the state in the past two days had shocked everyone.

On asked if he will remain Rajasthan CM, Gehlot said, "I won't decide that, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi will decide that."

"One-line resolution is our tradition. Unfortunately, a situation arose and that resolution wasn't passed. It was my moral responsibility (to pass the resolution), but despite being a CM I couldn't get it passed," he added.

Talking to reporters, Gehlot said the party works under the Congress president and decisions will be taken in time to come.

He said Congress workers worry about the direction in which the country is heading and tackling that issue was more important.