Mumbai, September 30:  As the grand old party undergoes reforms, today marks the last day to file the nominations for the post of Congress chief. So far, veteran leaders like Mallikarjun Kharge, Shashi Tharoor, and KN Tripathi have confirmed their candidature. In a turn of events, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh Friday backed out of the race to become the next Congress president as his colleague Kharge made a last-minute entry to the contest.

However, Tharoor on Friday said he will not withdraw his nomination for the party president after Mallikarjun Kharge entered the contest for the chief of the party. During this, Tharoor referred to Kharge as the "Bhishma Pitamah" of Congress. Earlier, frontrunner and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot backed out of the race. He cited "moral responsibility" for the MLAs' boycott of the meeting called last Sunday in Jaipur as the reason for opting out. Congress President Election: Senior Leader Mallikarjun Kharge To File Nomination for Party Presidential Post.

All You Need to Know About Mallikarjun Kharge:

  • Mapanna Mallikarjun Kharge, 80, is the current Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha. A staunch Gandhian, Kharge started his political career as a student union leader while in the Government College. Early in his career, he emerged as an influential labour union leader.

  • Kharge joined Indian National Congress in 1969. As a veteran leader who knows ins and outs of the party, he is considered a close ally of the Gandhi family.

  • Earlier, he served as the minister of railways (June 2013-May 2014), and minister of labour and employment (May 2009-June 2013) in the Manmohan Singh government.

  • He created electoral history in Karnataka's Gulbarga by registering 10 successive wins from 1972 to 2009. He suffered his first electoral defeat in 2019 when he lost to BJP's Umesh Jadhav.

  • Kharge hails from the Dalit community. His elevation to the post of party chief might help Congress in Karnataka polls.

  • The only problem the 80-year-old leader might face is due to his lack of pan-India appeal, namely in the Hindi belt. Congress President Election: ‘Nehru-Gandhi Family Will Remain Our Leader, Whoever Becomes Party President Will Work Under Them’, Says Digvijaya Singh.

All You Need to Know About Shashi Tharoor:

  • Shashi Tharoor, another Congress veteran who is running for the presidency, joined the party in 2009. Tharoor has served as the Minister of State for External Affairs (2009–2010) and Minister of Human Resource Development (2012–2014) in the UPA government.

  • Tharoor, one of the party’s most articulate leaders and a Twitter favourite, has high appeal among the youth of India. He has been called to give speeches at several prestigious universities across the world.

  • A former columnist in The Hindu, Deccan Chronicles, etc, he was one of the early members of the party who suggested reforms in the party's leadership. In his article in Malayalam daily Mathrubhumi, he sought fair and free elections.

  • However, as a second runner-up for the post of UN Secretary-General in 2006, a strong understanding of international relations and politics does give Tharoor an edge over others.

As the race for the next Congress President intensifies, the polling for Congress presidency will take place in October and the result of the Congress President Election will be declared on October 19, two days later.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 30, 2022 03:57 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).