Sonia, Rahul, Priyanka vote as Cong elects its next chief

While Kharge has been considered the Gandhi family’s ‘unofficial official candidate’ with a large number of senior leaders backing him, Tharoor pitched himself as the candidate of change.

New Delhi: Voting for the Congress presidential elections is  underway. The polling process that began around 10 am will end at 4 pm. The results are likely to be declared on October 19. The fate of the Congress party will be decided by over 9,000 Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) delegates who comprise the electoral college for electing the party chief. Senior party leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor are the only two candidates in the fray.

While Kharge has been considered the Gandhi family’s ‘unofficial official candidate’ with a large number of senior leaders backing him, Tharoor pitched himself as the candidate of change. This will be 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.

Both candidates have been vigorously campaigning across India. In an interview with the Indian Express, Kharge said Sonia is a “key player” in the Congress, and the party cannot work without the guidance and advice of the Gandhis. The priority for him, he added, is to implement the organisational reforms announced at the Chintan Shivir in Udaipur. Meanwhile, Tharoor, alleged that the contest was not a level playing field in accessing the delegates. He pointed out that several PCC chiefs and senior leaders were not available for a meeting with him during his visits to their respective states, but they welcomed Kharge and showed their support when he visited them.