Congress explains Rahul Gandhi's 'ask Kharge ji' comment, says 'it was clear'

Jairam Ramesh said Rahul Gandhi began his press meet on Wednesday at 1pm and before that the direction of voting indicating the victory of Mallikarjun Kharge was clear.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was asked on Wednesday about his future role in the party as the counting of votes for the presidential election was going on at that time. In reply, Rahul Gandhi said his role will be decided by the new Congress president. "Ask Kharge ji," Rahul Gandhi said minutes before Congress MP Shashi Tharoor put out a statement conceding defeat in the presidential election. Later in the day, Congress spokesperson Jairam Ramesh said Rahul Gandhi did not announce Mallikarjun Kharge's name in the press meet. By that time, the direction of voting was quite clear, Jairam Ramesh said. Read: Challenges for Congress as a new chief takes over

When Rahul Gandhi was asked about his future role in the party, he said, ‘Ask Kharge ji’. The result of the Congress presidential election was not announced until then. 

The press meet of Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra began at around 1pm on Wednesday. As Rahul Gandhi was asked to comment on the allegations of irregularities raised by Shashi Tharoor, he said it was for the central election authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry to look into them. "Congress has an internal election authority and a TN Seshan-like person heading it," Rahul Gandhi said.

Then he was asked about his future role in the party. "The Congress president is the supreme authority in the party. Every member reports to the president… He will decide my role in the party, please ask (Mallikarjun) Kharge ji and Sonia Gandhi ji," Rahul Gandhi said. The results were announced after that where Mallikarjun Kharge got 7,897 votes and Shashi Tharoor 1,072.

Jairam Ramesh made it clear that the direction of voting was clear before the press meet began. "There have been erroneous media reports that Rahul Gandhi announced Kharge-ji as Congress President during his press meet that began at Adoni at around 1pm. The fact is that the direction of voting was quite clear before the press meet began," he tweeted.

The BJP on Wednesday claimed that posters with the name of Mallikarjun Kharge were ready since the morning. "It was always a fixed match just like Jeetendra Prasad had said how his “election” against Sonia Gandhi was fixed too. In fact, Dr Tharoor already spoke of the uneven playing field.

Today what we see is a sham & fakery! Like a WWF match - it was always Noora Kushti," BJP's Shehzad Poonawall said.

Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday wrote to Mistry claiming that the voting process was unfair and no official seal was there in the ballot boxes in Uttar Pradesh. "Shashi Tharoor is whining like a sore loser. Did he actually expect elections in Congress to be free and fair? He should be grateful that he wasn’t locked up in bathroom…The worst is still to come. In the next few months he will be ridiculed and shamed for taking on the Gandhis," BJP's Amit Malviya said.