Cong prez poll: G-23 leaders among 30 who back Kharge

As many as 30 Congress leaders -- including some from the rebel G-23 group -- have shown their support to Mallikarjun Kharge who filed his nomination for the party's presidential elections on Friday.

IMAGE: Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge accompanied by G-23 leaders -- Manish Tewari, Prithviraj Chavan and Bhupinder Hooda -- with Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, party leaders Digvijay Singh and others files his nomination papers for the party's president post in New Delhi . Photograph: ANI Photo

Manish Tewari, Prithviraj Chavan, Anand Sharma and Bhupinder Hooda are the members of the pro-reform G23 group who wrote a letter to party's interim president Sonia Gandhi.

Kharge will be up against Congress MP and former union minister Shashi Tharoor and Jharkhand Congress leader KN Tripathi when the elections are held next month.

Tharoor, who was also part of the G-23 group, filed five sets of nomination papers, while former Jharkhand minister Tripathi filed a single set of poll papers with Madhusudan Mistry, the chairman of the Congress's Central Election Authority.

The 80-year-old Kharge appeared to be a clear favourite for the Congress presidential election as a galaxy of leaders were present by his side when he filed his nomination papers at the All India Congress Committee headquarters in New Delhi.

No one from the Gandhi family was present at the All India Congress Committee headquarters when the leaders filed their nominations for the election.

Kharge will be up against Congress MP and former union minister Shashi Tharoor and Jharkhand Congress leader KN Tripathi when the elections are held next month.

In more drama ahead of the Congress presidential polls, Digvijaya Singh, who only announced Thursday about his decision to run for the top job, opted out of the race saying he cannot contest against Kharge.

Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot had also pulled out after apologising to Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi for the mass rebellion of MLAs in his state.

Friday was the last day for filing nomination papers.

Over 9,100 delegates are eligible to cast their votes in the October 17 election.

The result will be announced on October 19.

Here's the list of Congress leaders who have proposed Kharge's candidature:

1. Salman Khurshid

2. Akhilesh Prasad Singh

3. Deepender Hooda

4. Narayanasamy

5. V. Vaithilingam

6. Pramod Tiwari

7. P. L. Punia

8. Avinash Pandey