The Indian National Congress is all set to elect its national president today at All India Congress Committee in Delhi. The battle is between Veteran Mallikarjun Kharge and Kerala MP Shashi Tharoor. The voting at polling stations across the country is scheduled to begin at 10 am. More than 9,000 Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) members will participate through a secret ballot.
After 24 years, Congress will see a Non-Gandhi president face who will replace interim president Sonia Gandhi. Sources said, Sonia Gandhi, general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will also cast their vote at the AICC headquarters in Delhi. The “Bharat Jodo Yatra” led by Rahul Gandhi will be off today as he will also cast his vote in Karnataka.
The polling will be conducted between 10am to 4pm today. Delegates from all states will cast their vote at respective polling stations with a ‘tick’ mark for their candidate they support. All ballot boxes will be collected and sent to Delhi headquarters of the Congress. The counting of votes will be held on October 19.
Experts say, Mr. Kharge is seen as the ‘approved‘ candidate as he will also be backed by the Gandhi family and senior Congress leaders. Kharge has more than 50 years of experience in politics. He has been MLA for 9-times in a row. He is a dalit leader and will also be a dark-horse in upcoming 2024 general elections.
Shashi Tharoor was the first candidate to file nomination for the grand-old-party President. He belongs to nair community of Kerala. He pitched himself as the candidate ‘of change’. He is known for his “fundamental speech and expressions”.
Earlier, Rajasthan’s CM Ashok Gehlot was the chess master against Tharoor but due to all political drama and conflicts between Gehlot and Sachin Pilot, when more than 82 MLAs were ready to resign, Gehlot stepped back.
Image credits: Mathrubhumi English
