Congress MP Shashi Tharoor reportedly hinted at the possibility of running for the party’s Presidential post. This came after the senior MP, on Monday, wrote an article in the Malayalam daily Matrubhumi calling for a ‘free and fair’ election. However, he is yet to give his final say in this regard.

When asked about his plan to contest for Congress Chief, Tharoor, while speaking to media persons in Thiruvananthapuram said, “I’ve absolutely no comment to make. I accept what I’ve written in my article which is that an election would be a good thing for Congress party.”

Expressing concern at the damaging effect the leadership vacuum at the top has caused on the party, Tharoor said, “By fixing current leadership vacuum and institutionalising a process through which the Congress worker can have a concrete say in the leaders that represent them at the upper echelons of the party, free and fair elections will give the party the strong footing it needs in the hearts of the workers and the general public.”  

He added, “We have seen global interest in the British Conservative Party during their recent leadership race, a phenomenon we have already witnessed in 2019, when a dozen candidates contested to replace Theresa May and Boris Johnson emerged on top.” 

He further added, “Replicating a similar scenario for the Congress will similarly increase the national interest in the party and galvanise more voters towards the Congress party once again. For this reason I hope that several candidates come forward to present themselves for consideration. Putting forward their visions for the party and the nation will surely stir public interest.”

The Congress, on Sunday, announced that the election for its party President would be held on October 17, the results, of which would be declared on October 19. The filing of nomination would begin on September 24 and continue till September 30.

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