On Monday, Congress veterans Shashi Tharoor and Mallikarjun Kharge will compete for the position of party president. Over 9,000 Congress delegates cast ballots to elect the party’s 37th president since its founding. The winner of the election, which will take place for the sixth time in the grand old party’s 137-year history, will succeed current President Sonia Gandhi. Tharoor and Kharge have been actively campaigning in several states, where they have met with Congress delegates. While Kharge has promised to follow in the footsteps of the Congress’ ‘Chintan Shivir’ declarations made earlier this year at a three-day event in Rajasthan, Tharoor has promised to decentralize the party and make it more modern and inclusive.
The Gandhi family has remained silent throughout this process, and both presidential candidates have stated that none of the members – Sonia, Rahul, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra – support either candidate. Tharoor has also stated repeatedly that he and Kharge respect each other and will continue to work together for the betterment of their party regardless of the outcome.
The Congress presidential election is taking place at a time when the party is in deep trouble. The election’s results will be announced on October 19.
Source:HT