They will vote at Indira Bhavan from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on October 17
They will vote at Indira Bhavan from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on October 17
Congress leaders refused to speculate on any upset wins or U-turns as nearly 300 Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) members prepare to queue up at Indira Bhavan here, the party’s State headquarters, to choose the next All India Congress Committee (AICC) president on Monday.
Shashi Tharoor, MP, and Mallikarjun Kharge have found themselves on the diagonally opposite corners of the ring as the bell sounded the end of their presidential campaigns on Sunday.
The voting will commence at 10 a.m. and end at 4 p.m. KPCC office-bearers ruled out any scope for malpractice and defended the integrity of the electoral list. Pradesh Returning Officer (PRO) G. Parameshwara and assistant PRO V.K. Arivuazhakan will monitor the poll process, including the sealing of the ballot box and its safe transit to the AICC headquarters in New Delhi for counting on October 19.
Identity card
Mr. Kharge’s name will top the ballot paper, given the alphabetical order. Mr. Tharoor will be the second name on the ballot. Electoral college members will be required to produce the identity card issued by the Central Election Authority to exercise their franchise. Agents of the candidates will be present in the polling booth.
Though many relatively young KPCC members have indicated a preference for Mr. Tharoor, the electoral college comprises predominantly older voters overtly loyal to the Gandhi family. Some KPCC insiders feel the pro-establishment sentiment among the older voters could sway the ballot in Mr. Kharge’s favour, at least in Kerala. The KPCC has not let out the electorate’s demographic composition.
‘Democratic deficit’
Some pro-establishment leaders felt that the ideological battle between Mr. Tharoor’s slogan for change and Mr. Kharge’s perceived stance for continuity was an undesirable distraction that advantaged political detractors. Several KPCC leaders had openly declared support for Mr. Kharge, giving rise to allegations that there was a democratic deficit at the core of the AICC president election process.
Mr. Tharoor had slammed the leaders for taking sides in the contest openly in violation of AICC president Sonia Gandhi’s diktat. A KPCC insider said the culmination of the arguably acrimonious campaign had caused the party to heave a collective sigh of relief.
