Cong president’s poll: Tharoor’s team flags poll code violation

While Tharoor’s team has not blamed Mallikarjun Kharge, his competitor to the party’s top post, the charges are primarily against state unit leaders for openly canvassing for him.

In the “friendly” and election for the Congress president, Shashi Tharoor’s team has registered several instances of alleged violation of poll guidelines with the party’s election in-charge Madhusudan Mistry.

Congress presidential candidate Shashi Tharoor meet his supporters at Parel in Mumbai (HT Photo)

While they have not blamed Mallikarjun Kharge, the other candidate, the charges are primarily against state unit leaders for openly canvassing for him.

Salman Anees Soz, the chief polling agent for Tharoor, told HT that he has flagged “some matters” to Mistry, both orally and in written complaints.

“We have been bringing matters to the attention of Madhusudan Mistry, the chief election authority. These matters are sometimes related to violation of poll guidelines. Some of the PCC presidents and even a few CWC leaders were campaigning for the other side while the poll guidelines issued by the party said that they have to resign if they want to campaign for any candidate in this election. We want everybody to follow the poll guidelines,” Soz said.

The Congress leader, a former World Bank officer, underlined that Tharoor’s campaign has not violated the party’s internal code of conduct so far. “Dr. Tharoor’s campaign is trying its best to maintain the decorum and dignity of this election, which is a friendly contest between two senior Congress leaders. We have always stayed within the poll guidelines,” he said.

On October 3, the Congress party issued strict guidelines that prohibit party’s office bearers from campaigning in favour of either Kharge or Tharoor. The party said that if anyone wishes to campaign or offer public support to any candidate, he or she has to resign from their organizational position.

The code bars all AICC general secretaries, in-charges, secretaries, PCC presidents, legislature party leaders, departmental heads and chiefs of frontal organizations as well as all spokespersons from publicly taking sides in the poll.

The election, scheduled on October 17, will see more than 9200 delegates from various state units voting. The result would be declared on October 19.

While Tharoor has already resigned as the head of the Professionals’ Congress, a unit of the AICC, at least three national spokespersons have also stepped down as they wanted to campaign.

Soz, however, clarified that there is no allegation against the senior most leaders of the party.

A secretary in charge of some smaller states, corroborated the allegations and told HT, “Some AICC leaders have tried to influence state levels leaders but top leadership remains committed to a free and fair poll.”

To ensure impartiality, Kharge was not invited to the Bharat Jodo Yatra when Congress chief Sonia Gandhi came to Karnataka, Kharge’s home state. “Kharge was present in the same area when Sonia and Rahul Gandhi were walking in the Bharat Jodo Yatra. But he couldn’t come as it would have given him an undue advantage,” said a senior leader involved in the yatra.