Indian National Congress party is going to select their President through organizational election. As Rahul Gandhi is not contesting for the presidential election, Shashi Tharoor and other leaders are going to contest for the presidential election.
Shashi Tharoor is a member of India’s Lok Sabha and one of the prominent leaders of Indian National Congress party. At the same time he does not have much grass root level support in the party across India.
For the past three times Shashi Tharoor has been winning from Trivandrum parliamentary constituency with thumping majority.
Prior to working with Indian National Congress party, Shashi Tharoor was working with United Nations in various positions. He became Under Secretary General of the United Nations when Kofi Annan was the Secretary General of United Nations.
Shashi Tharoor was born in London in 1956 and he completed his graduation in 1975 from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi. He has completed his PhD in 1978 from Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, U.S.A.
He began his career at United Nations in 1978 and he continuously worked with U.N. for a period of 23 years.
Please find below some of an important positions he held in United Nations:-
- Worked as a head of the UNHCR office in Singapore from 1981 to 1984.
- Worked as a Deputy chief of the UNHCR Secretariat from 1985 to 1989.
- Worked as a Special Assistant to the UN Under- Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations from 1989 to 1996.
- Worked as an Executive assistant to the Secretary-General from 1997 to 2000.
- Worked as an Under-secretary-general for communications and public information from 2001 to 2007.
In 2006, Shashi Tharoor contested for the post of of U.N. Secretary General and he received widespread support from Asian and African Group of countries. Unfortunately he has failed in getting adequate support from five Veto power countries.
Instead of supporting Shashi Tharoor, Veto power countries unanimously supported Ban Ki Moon of South Korea for the post U.N. Secretaty General and they have succeeded in installing him for this post.
Soon after his defeat, Shashi Tharoor resigned from the United Nations and started working as a chairman of an investment company based in the United Arab Emirates.
In 2009, Shashi Tharoor officially joined in Indian National Congress party and discharging his duties with the best of his abilities.