Big hint to Gehlot, relief for Pilot as Rahul says 'one-man, one-post'

Kochi, September 22, 2022

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday hinted that the party would adhere to the 'one man one post' as per the Udaipur declaration.

"I think we have made a commitment in Udaipur and hope that it will be fulfilled," Gandhi, who was here as part of the party's Bharat Jodo Yatra, said at an interaction with the media.

The statement comes as a big relief for Sachin Pilot, who is pitching for the Chief Ministership of Rajasthan.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot is tipped to file his nomination for the party president and it is likely that the party will appoint a new chief minister in Rajasthan if he gets elected.

Amid hectic political lobbying, there is a likely contest between Gehlot and Shashi Tharoor while Suresh Pachauri also met Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday, besides Mukul Wasnik and Pawan Bansal.

Gehlot is in Kerala today to meet Rahul Gandhi. Before going to Kerala, he met Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday and the meeting lasted for two hours.

Sources said that Sonia Gandhi has asserted that the poll would be fair and she would not endorse any candidate. Apparently, the issue of Rajasthan was also discussed in the meeting, but there is no official word on it.

Gehlot is tipped to file his nomination next week for the president's post. However, he is reluctant to leave the Chief Minister's chair in the state.

The Congress' central election authority on Thursday issued a notification for the Congress president polls.

According to the notification, while the nomination forms will be available from Thursday, nominations can be filed between September 24 and 30.

Scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on October 1, and the same day, a valid candidate list will be published. The last date of withdrawal of candidatures is October 8, following which a final list will be brought out. While the poll will be held on October 17, counting will take place on October 19.

IANS