With the nomination for the Congress president poll due in a day, the party has asked its spokespersons to refrain from making "unnecessary comments" on the probable candidates, said the sources on Friday.
According to the sources, Congress General Secretary incharge of Communication department Jairam Ramesh has urged all the department's stakeholders to refrain from unnecessary comments on the subject in the message sent to spokespersons and media panellists.
"I would strongly urge all Spokespersons and office-bearers of the Communications Department of AICC to refrain from commenting on any colleague of ours contesting the elections for the post of Congress President. We all have our individual preferences but our job is to highlight only the following," said the sources.
"The Congress is the only political party to have a democratic and transparent system in place for election to the post of its President. The Congress is the only political party in India to have an independent election authority to conduct organisational elections. A person wanting to contest needs no nod from anybody to do so except from 10 PCC delegates for filing the nomination form," sources quoted the notification by the party as saying.
The sources further quoted the notification as saying, "The election authority ensures free and fair elections. Spokespersons have to ensure that elections are seen to be free and fair. If elections have to be held on Oct 17th so be it. We welcome it. Even so, the entire party organisation's focus should be to make the Bharat Jodo Yatra, which has already evoked tremendous response even more of a resounding success".
Earlier today, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday confirmed his candidature for the upcoming Congress president election and said that Rahul Gandhi has made it clear that "no member of the Gandhi family" would become the next party chief.
Speaking to the media, Gehlot, who is in Kerala to take part in the Bharat Jodo Yatra, said, "I said earlier that I will request him (Rahul Gandhi) to accept this post when all the Congress Committees are passing resolutions in this regard. He made it clear that no one from the Gandhi family will become the next chief. He said he has decided this due to some reasons, a non-Gandhi family member will become the party chief".
Clearing the air of speculation over his nomination for the All India Congress Committee (AICC) presidential election, Congress leader Digvijay Singh on Friday said that he was not in the race for the party chief.
( With inputs from ANI )
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