Sashi Tharoor Gets Sonia Nod To Contest For Cong President Post: Reports

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Bhubaneswar: Senior Congress leader and MP Shashi Tharoor has reportedly received the approval of Sonia Gandhi to contest for the party president post. The election to the post is scheduled to be held on October 17.

According to sources, the former Union minister received go ahead from interim-party president Sonia Gandhi at a meeting with her at 10, Janpath, New Delhi on Monday. During the meeting, Tharoor expressed his wish to contest the elections to “make internal democracy” in the party stronger.

Giving her approval to Thiruvananthapuram MP’s wish, Sonia reportedly said anybody can contest elections. “Anyone is free to contest the Congress presidential poll,” Sonia told Tharoor, sources in the Congress told India Today TV.

In his reaction to Tharoor’s proposal, party’s senior leader Jairam Ramesh said, “Anybody who wants to contest is free and welcome to do so. This has been the consistent position of the Congress president and Rahul Gandhi. This is an open, democratic and transparent process. Nobody needs anybody’s nod to contest.”

“Gandhi has made it very clear that genuine elections will be held and anyone who wants to fight the polls can stand for president,” Hindustan Times quoted a Congress leader as saying. She also said there will be no official party candidate and the elections will be fair and transparent, the leader added.

It may be noted that Tharoor was one of the signatories of a letter written to Sonia by the G-23 group which sought reforms in the party.