New Delhi: The Congress voted internally on Monday to elect its first non-Gandhi president in nearly two-and-a-half decades, since Sitaram Kesri was at the helm in 1998.
Delegates voted in big numbers across the country to choose between Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor.
Congress Central Election Authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry informed that around 9,500 delegates cast their vote to elect the next president.
“By and large, 96% of voting took place across states. There was no adverse incident during poll… Three ballot boxes have been received so far,” Mistry said during a press conference at the AICC headquarters after polling ended around 4.30 pm.
Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi, senior leaders P Chidambaram and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were among the 87 people who cast their vote at the AICC headquarters.
Stating that the election was held in a conducive atmosphere, Mistry said other parties can learn lessons from it.
The result will be declared on October 19.
