AICC president poll: On-site voting for Bharat yatris in Mallikarjun Kharge-Shashi Tharoor faceoff

After more than two decades, India’s grand old party is set to elect a non-Nehru-Gandhi family member as its Chief. Incidentally, both Tharoor and Kharge are from Southern states, Kerala and Karnataka, respectively. The Congress will have a President from the South after 26 years, irrespective of who wins.

Even as questions have been raised over how independent the newly-elected president will be of the Congress first family, the party insists that the elections are a clear symbol of its thriving internal democracy. In 137 years of the party’s history, this is only the sixth presidential election.

Casting their votes

On Monday, delegates from across Pradesh Congress Committees (PCCs) will cast their votes at the state headquarters of the party.

Special arrangements have been made at the Bharat Jodo Yatra campsite in Ballari, Karnataka, to facilitate voting by some 40 AICC delegates who are part of the yatra. Delegates, including Rahul Gandhi, will cast their vote in a ballot box set up at the site. The Bharat Jodo Yatra will take a break tomorrow and resume on Tuesday in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh.

‘Popular choice’ Kharge vs ‘change bringer’ Tharoor

While the Congress first family has insisted multiple times that it is not backing any candidate and there is no “official” or “rebel” candidate, the response to Kharge and Tharoor’s candidatures has been telling. While Tharoor has been welcomed to offices bereft of senior office bearers at various PCCs, Kharge has received warm welcomes and larger crowds everywhere he has gone campaigning.

Thanks @OfficeOfKNath for the warm welcome to @INCMadhyaPrades by several senior office-bearers &Opposition Leader GobindSingh. This was a first in the seven states I have visited so far! Thanks to you personally for maintaining @incIndia’s strict neutrality btwn the candidates pic.twitter.com/bBpqYQ3k1W

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) October 14, 2022

Shashi Tharoor has made no secret of his disappointment over the lukewarm response his candidate has received from several PCCs, sometimes even expressing doubts over the elections being conducted on a “level playing field“. Kharge, on the other hand, who entered the foray only on the last day of nomination filing, has publicly stated that he asked Tharoor to avoid an election and have a consensus candidate instead.

The Congress constitution lays out a detailed process for electing the AICC president. According to Article 18 of the Constitution, the Central Election Authority chairman will be the ex-officio Returning Officer (RO) for the election of the president. As of today, Madhusudan Mistry occupies that post.

Since there are two candidates, AICC delegates can record their vote with a “tick mark” for one candidate on the ballot paper. Congress released detailed instructions to the delegates on how to vote.

Important information

Congress President election voting process

-The ballot paper contains the names of 2 candidates.
– Tick mark ☑️ next to the name of the candidate you are voting for.
– Vote will not count if any other mark or number is written. pic.twitter.com/v5sRTjzA7W

— Karnataka Congress (@INCKarnataka) October 16, 2022

Results of the AICC president elections will be announced on October 19.