Page 5 - Shashi Tharoor

Shashi Tharoor visits Rajghat ahead of filing nomination for Cong prez poll

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor visited Rajghat here on Friday and paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi ahead of filing his nomination papers for the party's presidential poll. "Paid tribute to the man who built India's bridge to the 21st century this morning," Tharoor said in a tweet. He quoted former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi as saying, "India is an Old country but a young nation... I dream of India Strong, Independent, Self-Reliant and in the front rank of the nations of the world, in the service of mankind." Meanwhile, Congress' central election authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry said Digvijaya Singh is expected to file his nomination papers between 11-11:30 am and Tharoor around 12:25 pm. Singh met Tharoor on Thursday and the latter said they agreed that theirs is "not a battle between rivals but a friendly contest" among colleagues. Polling will take place on October 17 and the result will be announced on October 19.

Stage set for Digvijaya Singh vs Shashi Tharoor for top Congress post

Gehlot apologises, opts out of race; Sonia to take call on Rajasthan CM

Friendly contest, not battle between rivals: Tharoor on meeting Digvijaya

Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, who is likely to file his nomination for the Congress president's post on Friday, met Shashi Tharoor, who said they agreed that theirs is "not a battle between rivals but a friendly contest" among colleagues. Singh met the party MP from Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday after collecting nomination papers for the polls. "Received a visit from Digvijaya Singh this afternoon. I welcome his candidacy for the Presidency of our Party," Tharoor said in a tweet. "We both agreed that ours is not a battle between rivals but a friendly contest among colleagues. All we both want is that whoever prevails, @incIndia will win!" he said. Tharoor has already declared that he will file his nomination for the post of Congress president on Friday, the last day of the nomination process. Polling for the post will take place on October 17 while the result will be announced on October 19.

Rajasthan crisis: Three Ashok Gehlot loyalists get show-cause notice

Congress president Sonia Gandhi deputed senior leaders Ambika Soni and Anand Sharma to talk to Gehlot

Shashi Tharoor to file nomination for post of Cong prez on Sept 30

Amid suspense over who could take on Shashi Tharoor in the Congress president polls, party's central election authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry on Tuesday said AICC treasurer Pawan Kumar Bansal has got nomination forms collected, adding that it may be for someone else. Mistry also said a representative of Tharoor has informed his office that he will file nomination for the post of president on September 30 at 11 AM. Speaking with reporters at his office at the AICC headquarters here, Mistry said he met party chief Sonia Gandhi at her 10 Janpath residence on Tuesday and handed over her voter's ID card. He also briefed Gandhi about the process so far as to how many people have collected the nomination forms and about the delegates. Mistry said Bansal got the nomination forms collected from his office on Monday and it may be "as a supporter" of someone. When pressed further as to whether Bansal may have collected the forms for himself or someone else, Mistry said he cannot say for

Shashi Tharoor gets nomination form collected, likely to file on Sep 30

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Saturday got the nomination form for the AICC presidential poll collected from the party headquarters here with sources saying he is likely to file his papers on September 30. Tharoor's close aide Aalim Javeri collected the forms from the office of the party's central election authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry on the first day of the start of the nomination process, all but confirming an electoral face-off for the top party post with Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. The nomination form is likely to be filed by Tharoor on the last day of the nomination process on September 30 as the idea is to collect nomination-endorsing signatures from across the country, sources told PTI. A total of 10 Pradesh Congress Committee delegates are needed to endorse a candidate. After over two decades, the Congress is set to see a contest for the post of party chief with Gehlot, who has announced his candidature, expected to take on Tharoor. Tharoor on

One-man, one-post commitment expected to be maintained: Rahul Gandhi

Gandhi's statement comes amid speculations that Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor might throw their hats into the ring

In Kochi, Rahul Gandhi reminds Congress leaders of one man-one post rule

The statement came after Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot showed interest in running for the post of party chief

Vote only for those who accept Nehru family in Cong prez polls: Kerala MP

Amidst speculation that Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor is likely to contest for the post of the Congress chief, senior party leader K Muraleedharan on Tuesday said the state party would vote only for those who recognise the prominence of the Nehru family. He also expressed his desire for Rahul Gandhi to take up the party chief post and said his unwillingness to accept the top position was a cause of worry for everyone. "There is no dispute among anyone that Rahul Gandhi should come and take up the post. But, it is up to him whether to accept the post or not," he told reporters here on the sidelines of the ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra. The Lok Sabha MP said a clear picture about the Congress president poll can be known on September 30 and the Yatra would cross the state's borders the next day. "Anyway, we will cast our votes only for those who recognise the prominence of the Nehru family," Muraleedharan added. After over two decades, the Congress is likely to see a contest for

Ashok Gehlot, Shashi Tharoor likely to run for Congress President's post

With the process for the Congress Presidential polls opening with the issuance of notification on September 22, it's likely that the main contest will be between Ashok Gehlot and Shashi Tharoor

Tharoor gets Sonia's 'approval' to run for Congress President: Report

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Monday met Sonia Gandhi and expressed his intention to contest the upcoming AICC chief polls, while the Congress president conveyed that she would stay "neutral" in the elections, sources said. Gandhi welcomed the idea of more people contesting the polls and dispelled the notion that there would be an "official candidate", they said. The feedback by Gandhi on Tharoor's desire to contest is being seen by many as an encouragement to him to contest and he could announce his candidature in the next few days. With regard to Tharoor's meeting with Gandhi and the speculation over it, the Congress said no one needs a nod to contest the presidential election as it is an open, democratic and transparent process. "Anybody who wants to contest is free and welcome to do so. This has been the consistent position of Congress President and Shri Rahul Gandhi. This is an open, democratic and transparent process. Nobody needs anybody's nod to contest," AICC ..

Rename Rajasthan as Kartavyasthan: Shashi Tharoor on renaming Rajpath

Criticising the BJP government over the renaming of Rajpath as Kartavya Path, Congress leader and author Shashi Tharoor questioned the centre that shouldn't all Raj Bhavans become Kartavya Bhavans

Air routes in Kerala remain under-served despite 4 airports: Shashi Tharoor

Tharoor made the observation while chairing the opening session of "TVM and Connectivity Summit" organised here by Trivandrum Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TCCI)

Tharoor seeks publication of electoral roll for Congress presidential polls

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has written to the party's central election authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry, seeking the publication of electoral roll for the upcoming poll to the post of AICC president, sources said on Friday. Assam MP Pradyut Bordoloi too has reportedly written to Mistry, asking him to make the electoral roll public. Their letters come as voices demanding the publication of the electors' list grow louder by the day and a debate within the party intensifies. Tharoor, who is contemplating throwing his hat in the ring, has written to Mistry and sought the publication of the electoral roll, the sources said. The nomination process includes 10 proposers who are Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) delegates. According to the sources, the senior leader has said it is important to know about these delegates as papers can get rejected if their names do not feature in the the final list. Asked about the letters written by the leaders and the voices seeking publica

Congress' Shashi Tharoor to tell Ambedkar's story in upcoming biography

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor will come out with a biography of BR Ambedkar next month in which he will provide insights into his life and also highlight the disputes the latter had with other political and intellectual giants of his era, including Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. In "Ambedkar: A Life", Tharoor will also seek to answer the question whether Ambedkar was the greatest Indian of modern times. The Congress MP traces the arc of Ambedkar's life from his birth into a family of Mahars in the Bombay Presidency on April 14, 1891 to his death in Delhi on December 6, 1956. He also describes the many "humiliations and hurdles" Ambedkar had to overcome in a society that stigmatised the community he was born into, and the single-minded determination with which he overcame every obstacle he encountered, a statement by publisher Aleph said. "We are given insights into the various battles Ambedkar fought to make untouchability illegal, his disputes with the other political and

Tharoor qualified to contest for Congress prez poll: KPCC chief Sudhakaran

Congress is a democratic party and its Lok Sabha member Shashi Tharoor is qualified to contest for the party's presidential election, KPCC chief K Sudhakaran said on Wednesday. Sudhakaran said if Tharoor wishes to contest the polls there is no need to blame him as the Congress is a democratic party and its members have the right to contest for the top party post. "What is there to wonder about? Is he not an eligible candidate? All the members of the Indian National Congress have the right to contest as it is a democratic party. If I wish to contest, I could also do that. The party will accept it. If I get the votes, I will win", Sudhakaran told reporters here, responding to a query. He said the Congress has the strength to address such issues through the democratic process. Amid the speculation over his possible candidature, Tharoor on Tuesday had said he would decide whether to throw his hat in the ring only after the election notification came out. At the same time, Tharoor has

'People free to speculate': Tharoor on contesting Congress president polls

"I am surprised that what I wrote in the article has caught so much attention. I have put some thoughts out there. Beyond that, I have not made any announcement," he said

Election to Congress president's post is good for the party: Tharoor

Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday said the reports about the possibility of him contesting for the party president's post were "only speculation," but said he would be able to clearly say about his candidature only after the election notification is announced. He also said an election to the top party post "is good for the party". "There is only speculation. I have not announced anything. All I said is that there should be an election and that is good for the party," Tharoor told reporters here. He said if an election is held to the Congress president's post, that will help gather the attention of the people and the party's style of functioning, ideology, values and its outlook for the country will again be discussed. "So let many candidates come forward and participate in the election in the democratically functioning party. That is good for the party," the Thiruvananthapuram MP said responding to queries. Referring to the request he had made to

Congress prez poll: When Jitendra Prasada challenged Sonia Gandhi and lost

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor is contemplating the possibility of running for the post of the party president, the elections for which are due to be held on October 17

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