Counting On, Cong To Get Non-Gandhi Prez In 24 Years Amid ‘Rigging’ Allegations

New Delhi: Even as the counting of votes is underway and Congress is all set to choose a non-Gandhi party chief after 24 years, Shashi Tharoor team on Wednesday alleged “extremely serious irregularities” in the election process in Uttar Pradesh and demanded that votes in the state be cancelled.

“We would like to underline that we have no evidence that Mallikarjun Kharge ji was aware of how his supporters were engaging in electoral malpractice in Uttar Pradesh. We are certain that if he was aware, he would never allow what happened in Uttar Pradesh,” Tharoor’s election agent Salman Soz said in his letter to Congress Central Election Authority chairman Madhusudhan Mistry.

It flagged problems like unofficial seals for ballot boxes, presence of unofficial people and AICC secretaries in-Charge of Uttar Pradesh in polling booths, voting malpractice and no polling summary sheet.

An official complaint was also sent to the party’s Central Election Authority (CEA) regarding the polling process the previous day.

The electoral contest, the sixth in the history of Congress, was held between veteran Mallikarjun Kharge and Thiruvananthapuram MP Tharoor on Monday. A long-time loyalist of the Gandhi family, Kharge is a favourite for the post.

The results are expected to be announced at around 3pm or 4pm.