New Delhi: The Congress is set to have its first non-Gandhi president in over two decades with an electoral contest, only the sixth in its 137-year history, between senior leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor on Monday.
The new president would replace Sonia Gandhi, the longest-serving party president who has been leading the party since 1998. barring two years (2017-19) when Rahul Gandhi was at the helm. Sitaram Kesri was the last non-Gandhi Congress president and he was in charge of the party from 1996 to 1998. The last election was held in 2000 when Sonia Gandhi secured 7,448 of 7,700 votes while her contender Jitendra Prasada managed to get just 94.
Over 9,000 state Congress Committee leaders across the country are set to cast their votes in a secret ballot, which is scheduled to begin at 10 am. Only those delegates who have QR-coded ID cards will be allowed to vote. No AICC general secretaries, state in charges, secretaries or joint secretaries will be allowed to cast their vote in their assigned states.
Interim party chief Sonia Gandhi, former PM Dr Manmohan Singh and party’s general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are expected to cast their vote at the AICC headquarters in Delhi. Rahul Gandhi, who is currently in Karnataka, will vote at the Bharat Jodo Yatra campsite in Sanganakallu in Ballari, party leader Jairam Ramesh tweeted, adding that around 40 other Bharat Yatris who are PCC delegates will vote along with him.
Tharoor will cast his vote at the Kerala Congress headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram, and Kharge at Karnataka Congress office in Bengaluru.
The counting of votes and declaration of results will take place in Delhi on October 19.
