When asked about the election, which would end her term, Sonia said, “I have been waiting for this day for a long time.”
Sonia had handed over the command to the son Rahul Gandhi At the end of 2017. Although he was persuaded by the Congress Working Committee to take over the reins again, this time as “interim president”, in mid-2019, Rahul left the top post following the party’s collapse in the Lok Sabha elections.
Voting was fast in all the states. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Sonia and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra cast their vote at the AICC headquarters. Kharge cast his vote in Bengaluru, while Tharoor cast his vote in Thiruvananthapuram.
‘100 percent voting in the election of Congress President in small states’
In the election for the post of Congress President on Monday, Rahul Gandhi along with 50 other delegates participating in the Bharat Jodi Yatra cast their vote at a makeshift booth at Sanganakallu in Ballari, Karnataka.
The yatra, which began in Kanyakumari and heads towards Kashmir, observed a ‘rest day’ on Monday to enable delegates to vote.
AICC election authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry said the turnout in smaller states was almost 100%, while the total turnout was 96%. UP election observer Pranav Jha said the turnout was over 97% in the largest state, which has the highest number of delegates – 1,247 – in the country.
The total electorate for the presidential election is approximately 9,900 state representatives, of whom 9,500 voted.
“No adverse incident was reported. This is a great achievement…the elections were conducted in a peaceful manner and in an open process.”
Kharge is considered the favorite in the race as he filed his nomination at the request of the Congress leadership, when the first choice of party top brass for the post of party president, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, took the final call on a dispute related to his state. The name was withdrawn in time. While 80-year-old Mallikarjun Kharge is at the fore, Tharoor mounted a spirited campaign, visiting states and moving ahead despite being turned away by party managers.
He also created a ruckus on social media by projecting himself as a candidate for change. However, Kharge has announced that he will implement the Udaipur Chintan Shivir proposal, which will be a major improvement in the functioning of the organisation.
Shashi Tharoor rejected calls by party office-bearers to withdraw his candidature in favor of consensus, but has repeatedly said the struggle was “friendly” and the party would be the winner regardless of the outcome. Before voting, Tharoor called Kharge in the morning. Kharge sent his “best wishes” to Tharoor.
He said that he had spoken to her as well. “My best wishes to Shashi Tharoor. Both of us are fighting elections to strengthen @INCIndia to build a stronger & better nation for future generations,” he tweeted.