Congress President Polls 2022, Live Updates on the 2022 Congress President Election, October 17: With the support of many senior figures, Kharge has been referred to as the “unofficial official candidate” of the Gandhi family, whereas Tharoor has positioned himself as the candidate of change.
Livestream of the 2022 Congress President Election Shashi Tharoor and Mallikarjun Kharge: According to news agency PTI, voting is presently taking place for the Congress presidential elections. The voting period, which started at roughly 10 am, will conclude at 4 pm. On October 19, the findings are anticipated to be made public. Over 9,000 Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) delegates, who make up the electoral college for choosing the party leader, will determine the fate of the Congress party. The only two candidates are senior party figures Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor.
While Kharge has been considered the Gandhi family’s ‘unofficial official candidate’ with a large number of senior leaders backing him, Tharoor pitched himself as the candidate of change. This will be the sixth time in its nearly 137-year-old history that an electoral contest would decide who would take up the mantle of the party’s president.
Both candidates have been vigorously campaigning across India. In an interview with the Indian Express, Kharge said Sonia is a “key player” in the Congress, and the party cannot work without the guidance and advice of the Gandhis. The priority for him, he added, is to implement the organisational reforms announced at the Chintan Shivir in Udaipur. Meanwhile, Tharoor, alleged that the contest was not a level playing field in accessing the delegates. He pointed out that several PCC chiefs and senior leaders were not available for a meeting with him during his visits to their respective states, but they welcomed Kharge and showed their support when he visited them.