On Monday, Member of Parliament, Shashi Tharoor receives approval from Congress Party leader, Sonia Gandhi to contest the upcoming poll for the presidential post of the Congress party.

According to ANI reports, during the meeting, the INC. MP for Thiruvananthapuram expressed his desire to contest in the upcoming elections scheduled to be taken place on October 17 by pointing out to “make internal democracy” stronger in the party.

“Senior Congress leader and MP Shashi Tharoor gets a nod from Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi to contest for the post of the party president, after he reached out to her in a meeting today, citing he can make internal democracy stronger.”

Congress Party leader, Sonia Gandhi, in response, approved Tharoor to contest the election and also said that anybody can contest elections.

“Sonia Gandhi, Congress interim president, replied that he (Shashi Tharoor) can contest (for the post of the party president) if he wants, anybody can contest elections,” said Sonia Gandhi.

Earlier, Tharoor signs for a petition initiated by a group of young Congress party members seeking party reforms post which the meeting was held.

“I welcome this petition that is being circulated by a group of young @INCIndia members, seeking constructive reforms in the Party. It has gathered over 650 signatures so far. I am happy to endorse it & to go beyond it,” tweeted Tharoor.

Earlier, there were speculations that the MP is likely to contest the election but it was not really confirmed but this meeting and nod by the interim congress president gives a clarity that he is contesting the presidential post.

Congress General Secretary Incharge of Communication Jairam Ramesh while speaking to ANI about Tharoor’s candidature said that anybody who wants to contest is free and welcome to do so. “This has been the consistent position of CP (Congress President) and RG (Rahul Gandhi). This is an open, democratic and transparent process. Nobody needs anybody’s nod to contest,” said Ramesh.

Back in the month of August, Tharoor pens down an article in a Malayalam daily after which there were speculations that the MP is very likely to run for the post of Congress party’s president.

To which, he said, “no comment to make” on and that people are free to speculate whether he will run for the contest or not but he did accept what he wrote in the article, that an election will be a good idea for the party.

“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. A democratic country like ours needs a democratic party. I welcome Congress’s decision to conduct polls. People are free to speculate as they like,” he said, speaking to media persons in Thiruvananthapuram.

The MP also said Rahul Gandhi’s refusal to be appointed as the Congress president was disappointing. According to him, still, the party should not be limited by the idea that only a single family can run it.

Tharoor further said, “The process is a few weeks away. Let us wait for the time the procedures begin. In my article, I said multiple candidates will be a good idea. At the end of the day, only one person emerges but the process attracts a lot of attention.”

The further official details of the meeting between the party leader and MP are yet to be known.

This is for the first time in 20 years, Congress is set to have a non – Gandhi president. The elections will be held in the coming month, while the filing of the nominations for the post will begin in three days.

Shashi Tharoor to run presidential election post against Gandhi family loyalist, Ashok Gehlot.