E-Paper
Will Rahul Gandhi vote in presidential poll tomorrow? Congress leader's response
With Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra not in the race for Congress president post, a non-Gandhi would be at the helm after over 24 years.
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Sunday said that Rahul Gandhi will be voting in the party's presidential election at a campsite of Bharat Jodo Yatra in the Ballari district of Karnataka. The Rajya Sabha member said that there should be no speculation about where the former party chief will cast his vote tomorrow.
“There’ve been queries on where @RahulGandhi will cast his vote tomorrow for Congress Presidential election. There should be no speculation. He will be voting at the #BharatJodoYatra campsite in Sanganakallu, Ballari along with around 40 other Bharat Yatris who are PCC delegates,” Jairam Ramesh said in a tweet.
The fight for the top party post is between Shashi Tharoor and Mallikarjun Kharge, who is being touted as the Gandhi family's favourite. With Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra not in the race, a non-Gandhi would be at the helm after over 24 years.
Both leaders have campaigned in several states to woo the over 9,000 PCC delegates who comprise the electoral college. While Tharoor has maintained that the Gandhis are not backing any candidate, he has repeatedly complained about the alleged differential treatment meted out by senior party leaders and PCC chiefs.
On Saturday, Tharoor asserted that youngsters and people in “lower levels” of the party are supporting him, while seniors are backing Kharge.
"I am getting support from the young voters. I am getting good feedback from the lower levels. The seniors are going with Kharge. We have been talking about change and older people resist it," Tharoor told a press conference as part of his campaign trail in Guwahati.
"“It would be foolish on the part of any Congress president to distance himself from the Gandhis as the Gandhi family is popular and their DNA runs through the party’s blood,” the Thiruvananthapuram MP said.
