Pritviraj Chavan endorses Kharge’s seniority, observe report 

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Refuting the existence of the ginger group G-23, senior Congress chief and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Pritviraj Chavan stated that Shashi Tharoor’s choice to contest for the put up of Congress president was a unilateral one and he hadn’t consulted the leaders earlier than becoming a member of the race. Speaking to this paper, Chavan stated, “After Tharoor made up his mind, he could have called up and discussed with us. We may have explored possibilities. If Tharoor had consulted us, I don’t know whether we would have accepted it or not. What we would have done is a different matter,” stated Chavan.

Chavan and Tharoor are among the many leaders who have been a part of the ginger group referred to as G-23, who wrote to the Congress management demanding sweeping reforms within the occasion two years again. As the image of Congress presidential election grew to become clearer on Friday with Lok Sabha MP Tharoor and veteran chief Mallikarjun Kharge rising as foremost contenders, essentially the most shocking transfer got here from G-23 leaders, together with Manish Tewari and Chavan who endorsed Kharge, who’s extensively seen because the official candidate.

Explaining his causes for backing Kharge, Chavan stated {that a} group of leaders together with him, in a late night time assembly on Thursday, determined that if the occasion put up a strong candidate, they might endorse him. “Kharge is a senior leader with a long and credible electoral track record. Kharge and I have worked closely together. There is no question of contesting for the sake of politics or opposing for the sake of opposing,” he stated, including that after Kharge’s candidature was determined, the chief requested for assist over telephone.

Chavan additionally stated that after Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot opted out of the race, the management thought-about Mukul Wasnik, however he selected to not contest. “We were happy to endorse Gehlot or Wasnik, but they chose to opt out,” he stated.

Responding to Tharoor’s  feedback that ‘Kharge is a candidate of continuity’, Chavan stated that Gandhi household is an asset to the occasion and it’s inside their proper to turn out to be a part of the consultative course of or the members of the working committee. “Rahul Gandhi is trying to mobilise the party in his own way. He was always welcome to contest the election. If he contests, then he is morally obligated to become a full time president, ”  he stated.

When identified in regards to the arguments that Kharge is a loyalist of the Gandhi household and the High Command’s dominance will prevail regardless of the election, Chavan stated,  “How could you presuppose that the election is in the best interests of the party?”

Many leaders, together with Tewari, have demanded a “free and fair’ electoral process and have written to Congress Central Election Authority Chairman Madhusutan Mistry on the same. Talking about transparency in the election process, Chavan said that it’s unfair to draw conclusions before the election process is concluded. “Let’s not forget that elections are being held after 22 years by casting ballots. There should be proper selection of the AICC members from among the delegates. After the Congress president is elected, there should be election of the Working Committee, as it happened 22 years back. Why should we say that it cannot happen or it cannot be decentralised?” requested  Chavan.

He additionally expressed hope that Tharoor wouldn’t choose out of the race. “Tharoor made a very important point that there is a democracy in the party. Why should we even try to see that there should be unanimous selection? Tharoor may actually get more votes than many people think,” he stated. Chavan additionally stated that G-23 was a figment of creativeness of the media and the group of leaders have been vilified by a bit for searching for reforms.

“Two years back, when we wrote a letter , the main demand was that the Congress should have a full time President and there should be an election for the post of President. Mrs Gandhi called us for a meeting after four months  and discussed the issues threadbare. She accepted all our demands and I have thanked her for that,”  he stated.

NEW DELHI: Refuting the existence of the ginger group G-23, senior Congress chief and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Pritviraj Chavan stated that Shashi Tharoor’s choice to contest for the put up of Congress president was a unilateral one and he hadn’t consulted the leaders earlier than becoming a member of the race. Speaking to this paper, Chavan stated, “After Tharoor made up his mind, he could have called up and discussed with us. We may have explored possibilities. If Tharoor had consulted us, I don’t know whether we would have accepted it or not. What we would have done is a different matter,” stated Chavan.

Chavan and Tharoor are among the many leaders who have been a part of the ginger group referred to as G-23, who wrote to the Congress management demanding sweeping reforms within the occasion two years again. As the image of Congress presidential election grew to become clearer on Friday with Lok Sabha MP Tharoor and veteran chief Mallikarjun Kharge rising as foremost contenders, essentially the most shocking transfer got here from G-23 leaders, together with Manish Tewari and Chavan who endorsed Kharge, who’s extensively seen because the official candidate.

Explaining his causes for backing Kharge, Chavan stated {that a} group of leaders together with him, in a late night time assembly on Thursday, determined that if the occasion put up a strong candidate, they might endorse him. “Kharge is a senior leader with a long and credible electoral track record. Kharge and I have worked closely together. There is no question of contesting for the sake of politics or opposing for the sake of opposing,” he stated, including that after Kharge’s candidature was determined, the chief requested for assist over telephone.

Chavan additionally stated that after Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot opted out of the race, the management thought-about Mukul Wasnik, however he selected to not contest. “We were happy to endorse Gehlot or Wasnik, but they chose to opt out,” he stated.

Responding to Tharoor’s  feedback that ‘Kharge is a candidate of continuity’, Chavan stated that Gandhi household is an asset to the occasion and it’s inside their proper to turn out to be a part of the consultative course of or the members of the working committee. “Rahul Gandhi is trying to mobilise the party in his own way. He was always welcome to contest the election. If he contests, then he is morally obligated to become a full time president, ”  he stated.

When identified in regards to the arguments that Kharge is a loyalist of the Gandhi household and the High Command’s dominance will prevail regardless of the election, Chavan stated,  “How could you presuppose that the election is in the best interests of the party?”

Many leaders, together with Tewari, have demanded a “free and fair’ electoral process and have written to Congress Central Election Authority Chairman Madhusutan Mistry on the same. Talking about transparency in the election process, Chavan said that it’s unfair to draw conclusions before the election process is concluded. “Let’s not forget that elections are being held after 22 years by casting ballots. There should be proper selection of the AICC members from among the delegates. After the Congress president is elected, there should be election of the Working Committee, as it happened 22 years back. Why should we say that it cannot happen or it cannot be decentralised?” requested  Chavan.

He additionally expressed hope that Tharoor wouldn’t choose out of the race. “Tharoor made a very important point that there is a democracy in the party. Why should we even try to see that there should be unanimous selection? Tharoor may actually get more votes than many people think,” he stated. Chavan additionally stated that G-23 was a figment of creativeness of the media and the group of leaders have been vilified by a bit for searching for reforms.

“Two years back, when we wrote a letter , the main demand was that the Congress should have a full time President and there should be an election for the post of President. Mrs Gandhi called us for a meeting after four months  and discussed the issues threadbare. She accepted all our demands and I have thanked her for that,”  he stated.