Senior Congress leader and Kerala MP Shashi Tharoor on Friday filed his nomination for the Congress president's post at AICC's officie in Delhi, news agency ANI reported.
On October 17, the party members will choose their new leader, and the results will be made public two days later. Digvijay Singh and Ashok Gehlot withdrew from the campaign, leaving Mallikarjun Kharge as the other front-runner.
In contrast to Ashok Gehlot, who withdrew from the race following the Rajasthan crisis and had his supporters demonstrate despite rumours that Sachin Pilot would likely succeed him, Digvijaya Singh announced a day after Kharge's confirmation that he would be Kharge's proposer.
On Friday morning, the former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh paid Kharge a visit at his home.
"I told him that I stand by him and can't even think of contesting against him; I will be his proposer," he said, ANI reported.
Before submitting his nomination on Friday, Tharoor paid respects at the shrines for Rajiv and Mahatma Gandhi.
“Paid tribute to the man who built India’s bridge to the 21st century this morning. ‘India is an Old country but a young nation… I dream of India Strong, Independent, Self-Reliant and in the front rank of the nations of the world, in the service of mankind.’ ~ Rajiv Gandhi,” he tweeted.
Congress President Elections
According to a notification issued by the party, the date for scrutiny of nomination papers is October 1, while the last date for withdrawal of nominations is October 8.
The final list of candidates will be published at 5 pm on October 8.
The polling, if needed, will be held on October 17. The counting of votes will be taken up on October 19 and the results will be declared the same day.
More than 9,000 Pradesh Congress Committee delegates will vote in the poll.
The Congress last saw a contest for the party president's post in November 2000. Jitendra Prasada had lost to Sonia Gandhi in 2000 and prior to that, Sitaram Kesri had defeated Sharad Pawar and Rajesh Pilot in 1997.