Congress prez Poll: You will see the support I enjoy when I submit my nomination paper, says Tharoor

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Monday claimed he has the support of party workers from across the country for his bid to fight the AICC president pollsAmid uncertainty over Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlots candidature for the top party post Tharoor also met Rahul Gandhi on the sidelines of Bharat Jodo Yatra at Pattambi in this north Kerala district Tharoor said it was a courtesy call as Gandhi was in his home districtYou will see the support I enjoy when I submit my nomination paper I will be in the fray if I get support from party workers from the majority of the states So many people from different parts of the country have requested me to be in the fray Tharoor told reporters reacting to a query on his candidature for the Congress presidents postTharoor said he was interested in fighting the poll but the picture will be clearer only after September 30 the last date for submitting nomination papersThe Thiruvananthapuram MP who has got the nomination form for the poll collected from the Congress headquarters last Saturday said a candidate should fight the polls with confidenceI have got the form I am meeting people and talking to them he saidAsked whether he has the support of the NehruGandhi family in fighting the polls the Congress leader said he had discussed the matter with Sonia Gandhi Rahul and Priyanka and and all three have directly told me that they dont have any issues He also claimed the support of party workers in Kerala in his bid to fight the pollsAlso Read Himachal Pradesh Woman 3 minor buried alive as house collapse after landslideTharoor had met Sonia Gandhi last Monday and expressed his intention to contest the pollThe Congress president conveyed she would stay neutral in the elections according to sourcesSonia Gandhi had welcomed the idea of more people contesting the poll and dispelled the notion that there would be an official candidateAccording to a notification issued by the party on Thursday the process for filing nominations for the election will be held from September 24 to 30The date for scrutiny of the nomination papers is October 1 while the last date for withdrawal of nominations is October 8The final list of candidates will be published at 5 pm on October 8The polling if needed will be held on October 17The counting of votes will be taken up on October 19 and the results will be declared the same dayMore than 9000 Pradesh Congress Committee PCC delegates will vote in the pollThe Congress last saw a contest for the party presidents post in November 2000Jitendra Prasada had lost to Sonia Gandhi in 2000 and prior to that Sitaram Kesri had defeated Sharad Pawar and Rajesh Pilot in 1997