Agency/IT News
New Delhi/Imphal, Oct 17:
Voting began on Monday in the Congress presidential polls as senior leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor face off for the post of AICC chief.
This is the sixth time in its nearly 137-year-old history that an electoral contest would decide who would take up the mantle of the party’s president.
Over 9,000 Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) delegates form the electoral college to pick the party chief in a secret ballot.
Voting began at 10 am at the AICC headquarters here and at party’s polling booths in state offices across the country.
Veteran Congress leader P Chidambaram was the first to cast his vote at the AICC headquarters here, sources said.
Kharge is considered the favourite for his perceived proximity to the Gandhis and backing by senior leaders, even as Tharoor has pitched himself as the candidate of change.
Electors in the Congress presidential polls have been asked to put a tick mark against the name of their choice on the ballot paper after AICC president candidate Tharoor’s team took up with the party’s top poll body the issue of its earlier directive that voters write “1” to reflect their preference, citing that it may lead to confusion.
The polling agents for Mallikarjun Kharge are MP V K Sreekandan and MP Dean Kuriakose and former MLAs V S Sivakumar and A A Shukkoor. The polling agents for Tharoor are Mannamoola Rajan, R Sivakumar, Sanal Kumar and Vijayachandran.
Prior to the start of the election, Kodikunnil said once the elections are over the party will be united. “But Tharoor should have withdrawn from the race. There is no scope of rivalry once the elections are over”, said Kodikunnil.
During the campaign, even though Tharoor raised issues of uneven playing field, both candidates and the party have maintained that the Gandhis are neutral and that there is no “official candidate”.
Ahead of the polling, Kharge had said he would have no shame in taking the advice and support of the Gandhi family in running the party affairs, in case he becomes its president, as they have struggled and put their strength for its growth. The veteran leader had said he is the “delegates’ candidate” in these polls.
In Manipur, MPCC delegates, including CLP leader Okram Ibobi Singh, deputy CLP leader K Ranjit Singh, CWC member Gaikhangam, president K Meghachandra, former presidents TN Haokip and N Loken Singh, MPCC working presidents Fajur Rahim and K Devabarta Singh MP have so far cast their votes to elect a new Congress President at Polling Booth No.33, Congress Bhawan, Imphal. A total of 54 voters from Manipur will cast their votes to decide the fate of the Congress party.