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‘Do you not see…?’: Tharoor on ‘uneven playing field’ in Congress prez poll
Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said that his remarks were not against the party's central election authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry but about some “shortcomings in the system.”
Congress presidential candidate Shashi Tharoor on Thursday said that his remark on the “uneven playing field” was about the alleged difference in treatment of the two candidates by some office bearers. Addressing a press briefing at Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) office, Tharoor said that several PCC chairpersons and senior party leaders met and welcomed Mallikarjun Kharge but the same courtesy was not extended to him.
"I am not complaining...I know that the vote of an ordinary (Congress) worker and that of a senior leader have equal value. So, I am not saying that it will have much impact on me. But if you are asking about the level-playing field, do you not see a difference in treatment?'
The Lok Sabha member from Thiruvananthapuram was responding to a question about his earlier reported comments that some aspects of the poll suggest an uneven playing field.
Tharoor said that his remarks were not against the party's central election authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry but about some “shortcomings in the system.” He highlighted the difficulty faced by his team in contacting the PCC delegates because of the inconsistency in the two lists that were made available.
"My complaint is not that they are doing this intentionally. Some mistakes were made because there has not been an election for the last 22 years. I am aware that Mistry Sahab and his team are trying to conduct a free and fair election," the senior Congress leader added.
Mistry had earlier asserted that a level-playing field has been ensured for both candidates, saying the polls will be held by a secret ballot and no one will get to know who voted for whom.
"Both candidates have been told about it. What is it that is still left to do, we do not know, and no one has contacted us over the issue," Mistry said.
Tharoor is pitted against Kharge who is seen as a favourite for the top party post because of his perceived proximity to the Gandhi family. However, the party and both candidates have maintained that the Gandhis are neutral in the polls.
