Congress President Polls: Over 9,000 Congress delegates voted

Debjit Mukherjee: Congress veterans Shashi Tharoor and Mallikarjun Kharge face off in a crucial election for the post of the party’s president on Monday. Over 9,000 Congress delegates voted to choose the party’s 37th president since independence. The winner of the poll, happening for the sixth time in the grand old party’s 137-year history, will succeed current chief Sonia Gandhi.

Both Tharoor and Kharge have been actively campaigning across several states, where they met Congress delegates. While Kharge has vowed to follow in the footsteps of Congress’ ‘Chintan Shivir’ declarations that occurred at a three-day event in Rajasthan earlier this year, Tharoor has promised to decentralise the party, making it more modern and inclusive. The Gandhi family has remained secluded in this process, and both presidential candidates have reiterated that none of the members – Sonia, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra – are favouring either. Tharoor has also maintained his stance on multiple occasions that he and Kharge respect each other, and will continue to work together for the betterment of their party regardless of the result.

The Congress presidential election is taking place at a time when the party is grappling with major crisis. The results of the poll will be announced on October 19.