ASHOK GEHLOT CLAIMS "ONLY RAHUL CAN CHALLENGE MODI" AHEAD OF KHARGE'S TAKE OVER

Ashok Gehlot, the chief minister of Rajasthan, stated on Wednesday that Rahul Gandhi was the "only leader who can challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the central government" and that significant efforts had been made to elect him as the president of the Congress party.

A few hours later, senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge officially assumed the role of party president. Speaking to the media in New Delhi, Gehlot also praised Sonia Gandhi for her 22-year leadership of the grand old party.

"The leadership that Sonia Gandhi ji led for 22 years will always be remembered. We all had requested her in 1998 to take over as the party president otherwise the party will be shattered. She took the challenge in the interest of the Congress party despite having language issues. After that, she was Congress President for 22 years and the governments were formed in 13 states at that time. She performed very well as a party chief that which no one can forget," Gehlot was quoted as saying by ANI. 

The chief minister of Rajasthan also claimed that Rahul Gandhi wants a non-Gandhi to assume the party's president.

Rahul Gandhi wanted the party's president to be someone other than a Gandhi for once. But to the very last moment, efforts were made to elect Rahul Gandhi as party leader since only he can oppose Modi and the ruling party, Gehlot made a remark. He also praised Kharge and promised to work with him to make the party stronger.

"Today is a new beginning. We congratulate Mallikarjun Kharge Ji and will work to strengthen the party," Gehlot continued. In the meantime, Kharge paid respects to Mahatma Gandhi at "Rajghat" before entering office on Wednesday, October 26.

Earlier on October 19, Kharge defeated Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor by a wide majority to win the party's presidential election.

Given that Kharge earned 7,897 votes and Tharoor only managed to obtain 1,072, Kharge was proclaimed the winner. Over 9,500 party delegates cast their votes, and 416 votes were deemed invalid in total.