Digvijaya Singh to contest for Congress president post, all set to file nomination paper tomorrow

New Delhi: Veteran Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Thursday confirmed his entry to the race for party chief post days after Rajasthan witnessed a high-voltage drama over the candidature of chief minister Ashok Gehlot. Speaking to reporters at the AICC headquarters in Delhi, Singh said he was there to collect the nomination papers, adding that he will likely file the nomination on Friday.

Digvijaya Singh is expected to face Shashi Tharoor, who is also likely to file his papers tomorrow.

Singh also claimed that the decision to contest Congress presidential elections was his sole decision and he didn't speak to the Gandhi family on this subject. When asked whether his entry will make the contest tri-cornered, the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister asked to wait till the date of withdrawal, October 8.

Singh had so far been evasive about running for Congress chief. Yesterday, he said, "I have not discussed with anybody. I have not sought permission from the high command".

The 75-year-old former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh is a longstanding loyalist of the Gandhi family, much like Ashok Gehlot.

The Rajasthan Chief Minister was the favorite in the race, till the open rebellion by his loyalists over the Chief Minister's post upset the Gandhis and other key leaders in Delhi.

A section in the Congress still maintains that Mr Gehlot will file a nomination for the election. It will depend on his meeting with Sonia Gandhi today.

The filing of nominations for the top Congress post will take place till September 30 and the election, if needed, will take place on October 17.