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Express News Service
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As he plans to file his nomination papers for the Congress president election on Friday, Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor has become the cynosure of all eyes. With the last-minute arrival of Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh as the official candidate supported by the Gandhi family, it is certain that the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister would win hands down in the poll being held on October 17. But that has not deterred Tharoor.
Sixty-six-year-old Tharoor is scheduled to file his nomination papers in New Delhi around 12.15pm on Friday. Several senior hardcore Gandhi family loyalists in the state and outside are learnt to have expressed their displeasure at Tharoor’s decision to be in the fray. At the same time, he has got in touch with several Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee members over the last few days seeking their support to become the proposers.
A senior leader belonging to Thiruvananthapuram district who also owes allegiance to the ‘A’ group told TNIE that Tharoor is most likely to file seven sets of nomination papers. “Tharoor is the MP from my home district. Why should I not support him? When he sought my help, I did not say no. I will be one of the proposers. I understand that Tharoor has got seven sets of nomination papers from the Congress headquarters which means that he requires 70 leaders as proposers,” he said.
Over the past few days, Tharoor has been claiming that he has got the support of several party members from across the country. But it is evident that there is a friction between Tharoor and the Congress high command especially after the attention from Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra was snatched away by the former’s announcement of his candidature.
A senior Congress leader told TNIE that if he hadn’t done so, Tharoor would have got a plum post in the party. When Digvijaya Singh came to the party headquarters on Thursday accompanied by a large contingent of party workers and mediapersons, Tharoor’s office aide Aalim Javeri, who is also the chief operations officer of the All India Professionals’ Congress, were also there.
It is learnt that Tharoor collected two more sets of nomination papers on Thursday apart from what he had collected last Saturday. Another young parliamentarian from the state who has always shared excellent camaraderie with Tharoor confirmed to TNIE that he endorses him in the election. “Tharoor may not win, but I support him for varied reasons. Tharoor has never got due recognition in the party. His argument is that since no Gandhi family member is in the fray, ‘why not me?’,” he said.
Tharoor is expected to break his silence to the media after filing his nomination papers. But a large majority of the Congress leaders are left wondering about his next move after the presidential election results come out on October 19.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As he plans to file his nomination papers for the Congress president election on Friday, Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor has become the cynosure of all eyes. With the last-minute arrival of Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh as the official candidate supported by the Gandhi family, it is certain that the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister would win hands down in the poll being held on October 17. But that has not deterred Tharoor.
Sixty-six-year-old Tharoor is scheduled to file his nomination papers in New Delhi around 12.15pm on Friday. Several senior hardcore Gandhi family loyalists in the state and outside are learnt to have expressed their displeasure at Tharoor’s decision to be in the fray. At the same time, he has got in touch with several Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee members over the last few days seeking their support to become the proposers.
A senior leader belonging to Thiruvananthapuram district who also owes allegiance to the ‘A’ group told TNIE that Tharoor is most likely to file seven sets of nomination papers. “Tharoor is the MP from my home district. Why should I not support him? When he sought my help, I did not say no. I will be one of the proposers. I understand that Tharoor has got seven sets of nomination papers from the Congress headquarters which means that he requires 70 leaders as proposers,” he said.
Over the past few days, Tharoor has been claiming that he has got the support of several party members from across the country. But it is evident that there is a friction between Tharoor and the Congress high command especially after the attention from Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra was snatched away by the former’s announcement of his candidature.
A senior Congress leader told TNIE that if he hadn’t done so, Tharoor would have got a plum post in the party. When Digvijaya Singh came to the party headquarters on Thursday accompanied by a large contingent of party workers and mediapersons, Tharoor’s office aide Aalim Javeri, who is also the chief operations officer of the All India Professionals’ Congress, were also there.
It is learnt that Tharoor collected two more sets of nomination papers on Thursday apart from what he had collected last Saturday. Another young parliamentarian from the state who has always shared excellent camaraderie with Tharoor confirmed to TNIE that he endorses him in the election. “Tharoor may not win, but I support him for varied reasons. Tharoor has never got due recognition in the party. His argument is that since no Gandhi family member is in the fray, ‘why not me?’,” he said.
Tharoor is expected to break his silence to the media after filing his nomination papers. But a large majority of the Congress leaders are left wondering about his next move after the presidential election results come out on October 19.
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