Before meeting Congress President Sonia Gandhi for nearly two hours to discuss the coming party presidential polls, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday said he was ready to shoulder any responsibility that the party gave him.
In an indication of his unwillingness to give up his chief ministership, Mr. Gehlot told reporters that he didn’t have to step down as Chief Minister to contest an open presidential poll. He was, however, quick to add that “only time will tell whether he would continue in chief minister’s post.”
The other contender for the top party post, Lok Sabha member Shashi Tharoor, also visited the Congress headquarters and met Central Election Authority (CEA) chairman Madhusudan Mistry to verify the electoral rolls, check about the nomination process and the appointment of election agents.
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And amid reports that senior leader Digvijaya Singh could be the third contender, Mr. Singh told The Hindu that he had “not discussed the idea of contesting the polls with anyone”.
Mr. Gehlot’s position on “one man two posts” could become problematic for the party’s top leadership as supporters of Sachin Pilot are hoping that the Rajasthan Chief Minister’s elevation as the All India Congress Committee (AICC) President will pave the way for Mr. Pilot to become the Chief Minister.
The meeting at Ms. Gandhi’s official residence could also be an indication of the challenge that the leadership is likely to face if Mr. Gehlot insists on continuing in both the positions or strongly opposes Mr. Pilot’s possible elevation.
The Rajasthan Chief Minister also said that he was going to meet party leader Rahul Gandhi in Kerala to persuade him one last time before he decides on his next step.
On August 23, The Hindu had first reported that Ms. Gandhi has asked Mr. Gehlot to lead the party. In Wednesday’s meeting, also attended by party general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal, Ms. Gandhi, however, made it clear that the Gandhi family would remain neutral in a presidential contest.
"The party and high command have given me everything. I have been on posts for 40-50 years. For me no post is important, I will fulfil any responsibility given to me,” Mr. Gehlot said, adding, “I am very fortunate that I have got love and affection of Congress men and women across the country and they have faith in me. Therefore, if they ask me to fill the nomination form I will not be able to refuse.”
Speaking with reporters at the Delhi airport before his meeting with the party chief, he said he would take decisions that would strengthen the Congress.
On whether holding on to the posts of the Chief Minister and the party president violates the one-man-one-post principle adopted in the recent Udaipur conclave, Mr. Gehlot said the rule applied to people who were nominated by the high command.
The president election is open to everyone and any of the 9,000 Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) delegates can contest; be it an MP, an MLA, Chief Minister or a minister.
Asked if he can manage both the responsibilities, Mr. Gehlot said, “As I said, whether I stay in one post or two posts or three posts, I have no objection. The party has given me everything, post is not so important for me. Left to me, I would not take any post and would join Rahul Gandhi in the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ ... .”
However, during his interaction with party MLAs in Jaipur late on Tuesday night, many of the participants got the impression that Mr. Gehlot wanted to continue in both the positions for some more time and present the next State budget as that would be his 10th budget.
Some argued that once Mr. Gehlot takes charge as the party chief while continuing as the Chief Minister, it would be difficult to effect a change of guard in Rajasthan.
While CEA chief Mr. Mistry said there was nothing in the party constitution that says Mr. Gehlot could not hold two posts, others like Mr. Digvijaya Singh argued that the Udaipur Declaration insisted on the principle of one-man-one-post.
Amid all these fast-paced developments, several PCCs like Telangana, Punjab and Puducherry passed unanimous resolutions to urge Mr. Gandhi to be at the helm.
The official notification for the AICC president election will come out on Thursday and the process of filing nominations starts on September 24. While voting will be held on October 17, the counting of votes will take place two days later, on October 19.
