Tharoor, a former diplomat, has promised to bring changes in the party and said leaders like Kharge can’t bring change and will continue the system
Senior Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor face-off in a historic elections today as voting for the post of All India Congress Committee President began on Monday morning.
A cryptic tweet by Tharoor on Monday morning has, however, led to the question: is the Thiruvananthapuram MP preparing for defeat? Tharoor posted an ambiguous quote in Hindi, saying “we fight some battles only so that history can remember that the present was not silent.”
Tharoor had earlier alleged that he was fighting on ‘uneven ground’ as several senior Congress leaders rallied behind his rival Kharge. Both candidates have, however, maintained that the Gandhis are neutral and there is no official candidate.
Responding to reports of party members acting in a biased way ahead of the election, Tharoor on Friday said that in most states, except in Madhya Pradesh recently, senior leaders have rallied behind Kharge. He also indicated that some leaders tried to discourage voters from attending his meetings or even seeing him.
At the same time, Tharoor also said that he would work with Kharge if the latter wins. “There’s no problem with our ideology but I want to bring a change in our way of work… Mallikarjun Kharge is an experienced leader, if he wins, we’ll work in cooperation naturally,” Tharoor was quoted as saying by the news agency ANI.
Over 9,000 Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) delegates form the electoral college to pick the party chief in a secret ballot. Voting would take place at the AICC headquarters in New Delhi and at over 65 polling booths across the country in an electoral contest which is taking place for the sixth time in the party’s 137-year history.
