New Delhi [India], September 23 (ANI): Haryana Congress leader Bhupinder Hooda met Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi in Delhi on Friday.

This comes ahead of the Congress presidential election.

"In our meeting today, we spoke about the party and how to strengthen it. She said that she has a neutral stand regarding the Congress president election" Hooda said.

Congress General Secretary Madhusudan Mistry, via an official notification, on Thursday, announced the schedule for the upcoming election for the post of Congress President.

The elections for the party's new president are slated to be held on October 17 at all PCC, with results to be announced on October 19, immediately after the counting of votes. As per the notification, the nominations for the president post are to be filed from September 24 to September 30.

Meanwhile, 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 mediapersons, 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".

Rahul Gandhi on Thursday emphasised the "one person, one post" norm in the party and said he believes the commitment of party's Udaipur declaration would be maintained in the election for the party's topmost post.

Party MP Shashi Tharoor has also given indication of contesting polls and had met Sonia Gandhi on Monday. He met Congress Central Election Authority chief Madhusudan Mistry on Wednesday.

There are speculations that former union minister Manish Tewari is also in the fray to run as a contender for Congress party chief post. (ANI)