Voting ended in the historic Congress presidential election in which senior leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor faced off for the top post after weeks-long vigorous campaign across the country.
Voting began at 10 am at the AICC headquarters in Delhi and 65 other polling booths set up in various states. Over 9,000 Pradesh Congress Committee delegates are eligible to vote, though the voter turnout percentage is not immediately known.
"I have been waiting for a long time for this day,” outgoing party chief Sonia Gandhi said after casting vote at the AICC headquarters. She came along with party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and senior party leaders P. Chidambaram, Jairam Ramesh, Ambika Soni, Ajay Maken and Vivek Tankha were among those who cast their vote at the party headquarters in Delhi.
Rahul Gandhi, along with 40 Bharat Jodo Yatris, cast his vote at a campsite at Bellary in Karnataka.
Though the party high command has maintained that there is no “official candidate” in the fray, Kharge is being seen as the firm favourite for the president post because of his perceived proximity to the Gandhi family and backing by several senior leaders.
Kharge, a member of Rajya Sabha from Karnataka, cast his vote at the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee office in Bengaluru.
"My best wishes to @ShashiTharoor. Spoke to him earlier today, both of us are contesting to strengthen @INCIndia to build a stronger & better nation for the future generations," the 80-year-old leader tweeted.
Tharoor, 66, cast his vote along with 264 other party delegates from Kerala, in Thiruvananthapuram.
"India needs a strong Congress. I did not contest for my political future, but for that of the Congress and India. I am here as a viable alternative. I am standing for change. A change in how the party functions," he said.
Tharoor had earlier alleged an “uneven playfield” in the election and “differential treatment” from the senior leaders.
The MP had also rued that several senior leaders are publicly campaigning for Kharge, violating guidelines of the election authority.
