If party wants, I will fight polls, says Congress national spokesperson Khushbu

CHENNAI: Congress national spokesperson Khushbu on Saturday said she would contest the general elections if the party high command so. desired. She had joined the Congress in 2014 in the presence of Sonia Gandhi , after quitting the DMK over differences with M K Stalin.


An application was filed on her behalf at Sathyamurthy Bhavan , seeking Trichy LS seat, on the last day for filing papers.

“I just heard from my husband that someone applied on my behalf. I am not aware of it. Unless I have a clear picture, I will not be able to comment,” Khushbu said over the phone from Hyderabad. The TNCC campaign committee convenor said she would abide by the high command’s orders. “I will leave it completely to Rahul ji… whether I should contest or not. I am not going to say. Every seat is important. He will have a better idea about the right candidates for the constituencies given to us,” she said.

Seeking Trichy seat for Khushbu has not gone down well within certain sections in the TNCC. While she said, “I will leave it to the high command to decide,” another leader said it was an attempt to scuttle the chances of former TNCC chief S Thirunavukkarasar, keen on the seat.

Transgender activist Apsara Reddy, who was appointed All India Mahila Congress general secretary in January, has sought Karur or Arani seat. “For far too long, transwomen have been told we are not good enough and we wouldn’t have meaningful lives. Our journeys have been wrongly judged. I have fought long and hard for mainstreaming. Having a voice in the Parliament will truly signify inclusion and equality,” she said. Former TNCC chief E V K S Elangovan (Krishnagiri), working presidents Nanguneri MLA H Vasanthakumar (Kanyakumari), K Vishnu Prasad (Arani) and K Jayakumar (Tiruvallur) have also submitted applications for seats. AICC secretary Manicka Tagore (Virudhunagar), former MP J M Haroon (Theni), AICC secretary A Chellakumar (Krishnagiri) and media panellist Jyothimani (Karur) are among the 249 functionaries who have applied for nine seats in Tamil Nadu.