Aditi Tandon
New Delhi, September 29
Hectic consultations began on Thursday morning to find a suitable consensus candidate for the forthcoming Congress presidential poll with efforts under way to convince Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot to take up the mantle and signals given to former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijaya Singh to file his papers as part of Plan B.
Digvijaya Singh arrived at party headquarters on Thursday to collect nomination papers for the Congress presidential election and said he would run.
Singh will file his papers along with Shashi Tharoor on Friday.
Meanwhile, AICC general secretary Rajasthan arrived at Sonia Gandhi’s house to discuss the Rajasthan Congress-leadership issue.
Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot is also in Delhi awaiting an appointment with Sonia.
Nominations for the election to the post of party president end at 3 pm on Friday.
So far, there’s only Shashi Tharoor in the race and Gehlot, a previous consensus face, appears to be disinterested unless of course he is allowed to keep his current job.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi met AICC general secretary in charge of organisation KC Venugopal on Thursday morning amid continuing discussions to replace the Rajasthan leadership which Gehlot camp is firmly resisting.
Senior general secretary of Congress Mukul Wasnik was, meanwhile, sent to engage Gehlot who is expected to meet Sonia later on Thursday.
The CM had on Wednesday described the Rajasthan crisis as a “party and family matter which would be solved soon.”
Sonia is working to convince Gehlot to lead the Congress and leave the decision of Rajasthan chief minister-ship on her.
Gehlot is reluctant to become party chief and argues that as party chief, he needs a say in what happens in his home state else he would begin his innings as Congress president on a weak footing.
Rahul Gandhi’s insistence on one person one post is standing in the way of resolution of the imbroglio that involves the future of Gehlot and Congress.
Gehlot loyalists have proclaimed he would stay CM for a full five-year term.
With the situation getting trickier, Sonia Gandhi’s reconciliation skills would be put to ultimate test as she readies to vacate her seat for a new leader.
Sources say by Thursday night, things should be clearer.
The Congress chief poll is scheduled for October 17.