Gehlot on whirlwind tour: Development in Congress explained in 10 points

New Delhi, Sep 21: The late night meeting held by Rajasthan Chief Minister, Ashok Gehlot has set the stage for the upcoming Congress presidential elections to be held in October.

Gehlot is widely expected to file his nomination for the post and before leaving for New Delhi, he met with his MLAs in Jaipur. He told them that they would have to come to New Delhi if he decides to file his nomination papers.

The process of filing the nominations for the elections begin on September 24 and will end on September 30. The last time an election was held was in 2000 when Jitendra Prasad lost to Sonia Gandhi.

Here are the top ten developments:

1. Gehlot is expected to go to Kerala and urge Rahul Gandhi to contest the elections. Prior to that he would meet with Sonia Gandhi in Delhi.
2. All MLAs will get a message to reach Delhi if he decides to file his nomination papers, Gehlot said.
3. There is no anti-incumbency in the state and the CM is not away from the people, Rajasthan minister Prathap Singh said.
4. Gehlot will also visit Mumbai, Delhi and Kerala.
5. A scheduled meeting with senior leaders will be held by Gehlot when he is at Delhi. This coincides with the nomination submission.
6. Haryana, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Maharashtra, J&K and the Rajasthan Congress units have passed a resolution favouring Rahul Gandhi as the president.
7. No permission from party president Sonia Gandhi is needed for anyone to file their nomination. Shashi Tharoor had met with Sonia Gandhi on Monday and conveyed his intention to contest the elections.
8. Tharoor was informed by Sonia Gandhi that she would maintain a neutral stance.
9. Tharoor's biggest resistance is from the Kerala Congress. The state Congress has said that the leaders would vote only for those who will recognise the prominence of the Nehru family.
10. Reports claim that the top leadership is in favour of Gehlot taking over as president.