INDIA
Kharge received 7,897 votes whereas Tharoor got 1,072 votes.
New Delhi: Mallikarjun Kharge has become the first non-Gandhi Congress president since 1998 as he defeated his rival Shashi Tharoor by a handsome margin on Wednesday, amid allegations of poll irregularities in Uttar Pradesh. Kharge received 7,897 votes whereas Tharoor got 1,072 votes.
Tharoor conceded defeat in a tweet.
"It is a great honor and a huge responsibility to be the President of Congress and I wish Kharge all the success in that task. It was a privilege to have received the support of over a thousand colleagues and to carry the hopes and aspirations of so many well-wishers of Congress across India," he tweeted.
In a letter dated October 18, Team Tharoor shot off a letter to the poll in-charge Madhusudan Mistry alleging "extremely serious irregularities" in Uttar Pradesh. The politician had demanded that the votes in UP be deemed invalid.
Salman Soz, Shashi Tharoor's election agent, wrote to Madhusudan Mistry that the election process in Uttar Pradesh was devoid of any credibility and integrity.
"We would like to underline that we have no evidence that Mallikarjun Kharge was aware of how his supporters were engaging in electoral malpractice in Uttar Pradesh. We are certain that if he was aware, he would never allow what happened in Uttar Pradesh," Soz said in his letter.
"He (Kharge) would not allow the tainting of an election that is so important for the Indian National Congress," Soz was quoted as saying in the letter.
Congress denied the charges.
Earlier this month, Tharoor alleged bias against him in the Congress ranks. He claimed several state unit chiefs didn't meet him when he went to seek votes for the Congress internal elections.
Tharoor had claimed there was no official Congress candidate and that Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi adopted a neutral stance.
However, Kharge, a Gandhi loyalist, was considered the favourite to win the race as most of the so-called old guard of the Congress party openly supported his candidature.
The last non-Gandhi Congress president was Sitaram Kesari who was forced to make way for Sonia Gandhi in 1998.
In 2019, Rahul Gandhi assumed the moral responsibility for the general election debacle and stepped down from the post of Congress president. After weeks of deliberations, Sonia Gandhi was elected as the interim president until a full-time president is elected. However, no internal elections took place since then, allowing Gandhi to continue to spearhead the party.
The election of a full-time president was among the main demands of the G-23 dissent group.
Tharoor was part of the group many of whose members quit the party over the years.
SEBI's first reaction on Gautam Adani bribery case, begins inquiry into...
Meet Hyderabad girl who began NEET preparation in class 7, scored 99.9 percentile, secured AIR...
Badshah breaks his silence on dating rumours with Pakistani star Hania Aamir: ‘We have a lot of…’
Delhi pollution: Air quality deteriorates to 'severe' category in Delhi-NCR; AQI at 419
'I think bro is her EX': Man performs risky bike stunt with burqa-clad woman in Bangladesh, watch
Viral video: Little girl's power-packed dance to 'beer song' melts hearts online, watch
Explained: Why India must win the 1st Test against Australia in Perth
Raima Sen mourns Bharat Dev Varma's demise, pens emotional note for 'great father, great husband'
DNA TV Show: Ahead of Maharashtra poll results, MVA, Mahayuti engage in resort politics
Maharashtra: Stage set for assembly poll results; Mahayuti, MVA confident of their victories
All set for vote counting in Jharkhand tomorrow; NDA, JMM-led alliances confident of winning
Watch: Australia star inquires Rishabh Pant about his next IPL team, gets 2-word reply
Shah Rukh Khan’s house Mannat was first offered to his industry rival…, but he refused because...
The Visionary Who Promises a Blue Sky for India: Holger Thorsten Schubart’s G20 Climate Speech
The Surge of High-End Living: Luxury Residential Market to Outpace Other Segments
FeFCon 2024 to be Held in Bangalore: A Premier Event on Fever Management
'That’s wild': Noida man turns cigarette butts into teddy bears in viral video, watch
London Airport evacuates passengers over security threat, thousands stranded
The World’s First Innovative Iron Supplement to Combat Iron Deficiency and Anaemia
Meet grandmother who became fashion icon after trying on her granddaughter’s clothes
IND vs AUS: Rishabh Pant joins Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma in elite WTC list, becomes 3rd Indian to...
'All scripted drama...': Puneet Superstar allegedly assaulted by influencers in viral video, watch
Actress Ana de Armas caught kissing Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel’s son in viral photos
Oreshnik's Shadow: Will Russia's hypersonic missile force west to back down?
‘You’re So Beautiful’: World’s tallest woman meets world’s shortest woman over tea, pics go viral
Delhi-NCR Air Pollution: Consequences of GRAP-4 are drastic, may have adverse effects, says SC
Delhi-NCR Air Pollution: Schools likely to stay closed till..., check city-wise update
Maharashtra: 3 killed, 9 hospitalised after gas leak at fertiliser plant in Sangli
THIS farm is selling a cup of coffee for Rs 28000, but there's a twist, it is...
Chhattisgarh: 10 Maoists killed after encounter with security personnel in Sukma
Mukesh Ambani's SUPERHIT plan for Jio users, offers unlimited 5G access for 1 year for just Rs...
IND vs AUS 1st Test: KL Rahul's dismissal sparks DRS controversy in Perth Test
Dense fog, heavy rain predicted in these states till November 25; check here
Oreshnik Hypersonic Missile: Which nations are within its range?
Bihar teacher, principal reach school in drunken state; know what happened next
'I have faced a lot of...': Arjun Kapoor REVEALS his biggest fear amid break up with Malaika Arora
How millions of Indians may get affected due to US indictment of Gautam Adani in bribery case
Amid divorce rumours with Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan says 'missing someone is okay but...'
After Bibles, watches and sneakers, Donald Trump is now selling autographed guitars, price is...
Delhi pollution: Air quality improves to ‘very poor’ category, AQI at...
Vladimir Putin's BIG threat, warns he could strike UK with new ballistic missile if...
Shillong Teer Results TODAY November 22, 2024 Live Updates: Check winning numbers here