Confident Kharge or hopeful Tharoor? Congress votes for new president Monday | Political Pulse News,The Indian Express
Party set to elect first non-Gandhi chief in almost 25 years; Rahul Gandhi to vote at Bharat Jodo Yatra campsite in Karnataka.
As the Congress votes Monday to elect its next president — its first non-Gandhi chief in close to 25 years — emotions in the campaign teams of both Kharge and Tharoor were starkly different. On one side was supreme confidence and on the other, cautious optimism.
For both, the race was “hectic” and “exciting” — from whistle-stop tours of states, multimedia campaigns, social media promotions, appeals and manifestos, media interactions, interviews and town halls. Kharge (80) and Tharoor (66) threw in everything they could over the past ten days to reach out to the 9,850-odd party delegates who are eligible to vote across the country.
On Sunday, in a last-minute push, Tharoor tweeted an image of the ballot paper. He wrote: “Breaking News: the @incIndia Election Authority has changed the requirement for a vote from writing “1” against the preferred candidate’s name to a tick mark. Delegates please note — a tick mark is needed in the box next to my name!”
Earlier in the day, his camp had approached the party’s election authority saying the requirement of writing ‘1’ against the preferred candidate’s name on the ballot could create confusion as Kharge’s serial number was ‘1’ and Tharoor’s ‘2’. The votes will be counted Wednesday.
Tharoor was always expected to wage a spirited campaign till the end. The suave and articulate MP from Thiruvananthapuram is a brand and one of the most prominent liberal voices in the country. He also, perhaps, has more supporters outside the Congress than within it given his presence on social media, reputation as a writer and public speaker, and image as a rebel with a cause.
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