It's official, it will be Kharge vs Tharoor on October 17 for Congress president

Shashi Tharoor

The Congress on Saturday announced that an electoral contest would take place between Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor on October 17 with both candidates not withdrawing their nominations, the deadline for which has ended.

The last electoral contest for the top post of the party took place in 2000 when Jitendra Prasada had suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Sonia Gandhi.

Also, with Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra deciding not to be in the running for the party president's post, a non-Gandhi would be at the helm after over 24 years. "There are two candidates who had filed (valid) nomination Mr. Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor. The period of withdrawal is over and none of them has withdrawn their candidature. So, there remain two candidates," Congress' central election authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry said at a press conference at the AICC headquarters here.

The official process of campaigning starts from now but candidates have already started canvassing, he said. Elections will take place on October 17 in every state capital from 10 AM to 4 PM, Mistry said, adding that the vote will be by secret ballot.

The ballot boxes will be brought to Delhi and counting will take place on October 19. Results will be declared the same day, the senior Congress leader said. Ballot papers will also be sent to the Bharat Jodo Yatra campsite in Karnataka and a booth will be set up there for the yatris, he said.

Mistry also said that an advisory was issued for the polls, and it is being followed by everyone. "There is an equal opportunity for both candidates and the apprehensions that used to be there that it may be in favour of one candidate are not there," he said.

There was just one complaint during the election process, Mistry said, adding that it is being resolved. Amid reports that the Tharoor camp had filed a complaint over some office bearers openly pledging support for Kharge, Mistry refused to divulge whose complaint it was that has been filed and from which state.

"We don't go by media reports, we can act only on written complaints," he said when asked about reports of complaints from certain states. A set of guidelines for the elections was issued earlier this week which debarred party office-bearers from campaigning for candidates.

Mistry said in all, 67 booths will be set up across states, including one at the AICC headquarters here, and asserted that the elections are an "open process". More than 9,000 Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) delegates will vote in the poll.