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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said he expected the ‘one-man, one-post’ decision taken at the chintan shivir at Udaipur in Rajasthan to be maintained during the upcoming Congress presidential election. Gandhi’s remark comes in the backdrop of Ashok Gehlot reportedly expressing his desire to hold both the posts of Rajasthan Chief Minister and Congress chief if he is elected.
“What we decided at Udaipur, we expect that commitment to be maintained,” Gandhi said when asked by reporters in Kochi on the party’s ‘Udaipur Declaration’ on ‘one-man, one-post’.
Speaking at a press conference held between the first and second leg of Bharat Jodo Yatra on Thursday, Rahul Gandhi said the Congress president was not just an organisational position, it is an ideological post and a belief system, PTI reported.
READ | No One From Gandhi Family Will Contest Congress President Election, Digvijaya Singh Confirms
When asked what he would advise the future Congress chief, ANI quoted Rahul Gandhi as saying, “You’re taking a historic position which defines a particular view of India. Congress president is an ideological post. You represent a set of ideas, a belief system & vision of India.”
“We’re fighting a machine that has captured the institutional framework of this country, that has unlimited money & ability to buy, pressurise and threaten people. The outcome of that is what you’ve seen in Goa,” he said.
The process for filing of nominations for the election will be held from September 24 to 30. The last date for withdrawal of nominations is October 8 and the election, if required, will be held on October 17. The results will be out on October 19.
The Congress is likely to see a non-Gandhi as its chief, with Digvijaya Singh confirming to ABP that no one from the Gandhi family would contest the upcoming party president election.
Earlier this week, former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor received the nod from Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi to run for the post of the party president.
Ashok Gehlot has also met Sonia Gandhi and is likely to throw his hat into the ring. Gehlot, who has joined Gandhi in Kochi for the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, will try to persuade the Congress leader to contest the polls until the last minute. But if Rahul does not agree, he will run for the post of party president.
Earlier this week, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said anybody was welcome to contest the Congress president’s poll, which would be free and fair as well as transparent.
“Whoever wants to file a nomination, can file it. We have said it will be an open election, anybody can contest, free and fair election, definitely it will be a transparent election,” PTI quoted Venugopal as saying.
(With Inputs from agencies)
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