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‘Sorry to say…’: Mistry's 'two faces' attack on Team Tharoor over irregularities claims in Cong polls
Tharoor managed to poll 1,072 votes in the crucial polls, while his colleague and Congress president-elect Kharge bagged 7,897 votes in a resounding victory. 416 votes were declared invalid.
Congress central election authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry on Thursday hit out at senior party leader Shashi Tharoor, who unsuccessfully contested the polls for the top post in the party against Mallikarjun Kharge.
Mistry, whose reply came a day after Tharoor and his team alleged severe irregularities in the Congress presidential election after the results were announced, slammed Tharoor for alleging that the election authority was “conspiring against him” despite his requests being accommodated.
Also read | ‘Not surprising that continuity won over…’: Tharoor on Kharge becoming Cong boss
"We accommodated your request and despite that you went to the media alleging the Central Election Authority was conspiring against you," news agency ANI quoted Mistry as saying in a reply to the chief election agent of Tharoor on the claims of irregularities in the conduct of elections.
Mistry further hit out at the Thiruvananthapuram MP for having one face before the election committee and another in front of the media. “I am sorry to say that you had one face before me which communicated that you're satisfied with all our answers and a different face in the media which made all these allegations against us.”
In a letter written by Tharoor's polling agent to Madhusudan Mistry, four complaints against the polling process were brought up: use of unofficial seals for ballot boxes, presence of unofficial persons in polling booths, malpractices indulged during the voting and the absence of polling sheets.
The voting for Congress presidential polls took place on November 17.
"We did not contest this election to accept business as usual. We are ready to fight for the integrity of this election. Winning or losing matters little given that both contestants are part of the same family," the letter said.
"However, it matters greatly to our campaign, our volunteers and our supporters that we ensure that the Indian National Congress emerges stronger after this election," Salman Soz further wrote.
Tharoor managed to poll 1,072 votes in the crucial polls, while his colleague and Congress president-elect Kharge bagged 7,897 votes in a resounding victory. 416 votes were declared invalid.
Kharge is now all set to replace Sonia Gandhi to take over the reins of the grand old party.
