By Agencies
NEW DELHI: Voting ended on Monday in the Congress presidential poll as senior leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor faced-off for the post of AICC chief.
This is 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.
Over 9,000 Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) delegates form the electoral college to pick the party chief in a secret ballot.
Voting began at 10 am at the AICC headquarters here and at party’s polling booths in state offices across the country.
Veteran Congress leader P Chidambaram was the first to cast his vote at the AICC headquarters here, sources said.
Kharge is considered the favourite for his perceived proximity to the Gandhis and backing by senior leaders, even as Tharoor has pitched himself as the candidate of change.
#CongressPresidentPolls candidate #ShashiTharoor speaks to TNIE after casting his vote at Indira Bhavan.@HayoCyn @anilsanilan pic.twitter.com/SeXq86aNuE
— (@NewIndianXpress) October 17, 2022
Congress leaders cast their vote for the post of party president. (Photo | Special Arrangement)
Electors in the Congress presidential polls have been asked to put a tick mark against the name of their choice on the ballot paper after AICC president candidate Tharoor’s team took up with the party’s top poll body the issue of its earlier directive that voters write “1” to reflect their preference, citing that it may lead to confusion.
The polling agents for Mallikarjun Kharge are MP V K Sreekandan and MP Dean Kuriakose and former MLAs V S Sivakumar and A A Shukkoor. The polling agents for Tharoor are Mannamoola Rajan, R Sivakumar, Sanal Kumar and Vijayachandran.
Prior to the start of the election, Kodikunnil said once the elections are over the party will be united. “But Tharoor should have withdrawn from the race. There is no scope of rivalry once the elections are over”, said Kodikunnil.
WATCH |
During the campaign, even though Tharoor raised issues of uneven playing field, both candidates and the party have maintained that the Gandhis are neutral and that there is no “official candidate”.
Ahead of the polling, Kharge had said he would have no shame in taking the advice and support of the Gandhi family in running the party affairs, in case he becomes its president, as they have struggled and put their strength for its growth. The veteran leader had said he is the “delegates’ candidate” in these polls.
Tharoor casts his vote
Congress presidential candidate Shashi Tharoor casts his vote at the party office, in Thiruvananthapuram. (Photo | PTI)
Tharoor who is the cynosure of all eyes reached Indira Bhavan after offering prayers at Pazhavangadi Ganapathi Temple at 10.45 am.
After casting his vote, Tharoor told TNIE that he had called Kharge this morning and wished him luck. Reacting to the question on four block presidents acting as his polling agents, Tharoor said he wants to convey that they are the grassroots workers of the party who plays a crucial role.
“The opponent candidate has roped in MPs and former MLAs. But my polling agents are ordinary Congress party workers”, said Tharoor to TNIE.
Later Tharoor told the media contingent that he is getting good feedback from his polling agents. “There might be difference of opinion among the leaders. But from tomorrow onwards, all of us would be working united”, added Tharoor.
ALSO READ | Gandhi’s Kharge? Independent Tharoor? Congress to elect party chief after two decades
Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra arrive to cast their votes for the party’s Presidential election at AICC headquarters. (Photo | PTI)
Outgoing party chief Sonia Gandhi on Monday said she had been waiting for a long time for this day.
Sonia Gandhi and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra came together at the AICC headquarters and cast their vote.
When asked by reporters about the polls, Sonia Gandhi said, “I have been waiting for a long time for this day.”
Later, former prime minister Manmohan Singh also cast his ballot in the polls at the party headquarters where the 68th polling booth for the AICC presidential poll has been set up.
Several senior leaders such as general secretary Jairam Ramesh, Ambika Soni, Ajay Maken and Vivek Tankha, among others, cast their votes at the party headquarters.
Congress leaders Ashok Gehlot, Kamal Nath, DK Shivakumar, and Pawan Kumar Bansal cast their votes to elect the party’s new chief. (Photos | PTI)
UPDATES FROM POLLING BOOTHS
Kerala: Voting starts at the State party headquarters at Indira Bhavan
Indira Bhavan which is the cynosure of all eyes saw a large posse of KPCC office bearers and also those who don’t have the voting rights converge at the party headquarters much before the start of the election. The voting began at 9 am. A large queue was formed in front of Indira Bhavan where leaders from across the State came to cast their votes.
The polling agents for Mallikarjun Kharge are MP V K Sreekandan and MP Dean Kuriakose and former MLAs V S Sivakumar and A A Shukkoor. The polling agents for Tharoor are Mannamoola Rajan, R Sivakumar, Sanal Kumar and Vijayachandran. Prior to the start of the election, Kodikunnil said once the elections are over the party will be united.
“But Tharoor should have withdrawn from the race. There is no scope of rivalry once the elections are over”, said Kodikunnil.
P T Ajayamohan, Veliyankode block in Ponnani Assembly constituency in Malappuram and son of former legislator P T Mohanakrishnan was the first KPCC office bearer to cast his vote. State Congress general secretary K A Thulasi whose leg was in a cast was wheeled inside a wheelchair and was accompanied by her husband, V K Sreekandan, Palakkad MP.
Her leg was fractured during the course of the Bharat Jodo Yatra. The Kerala Pradesh Returning Officer G Parameswara and Assistant Returning Officer, V K Arivazhagan told reporters that anyone who puts other than a tick mark will be considered as an invalid vote. “The voting would conclude at 4 pm. There are two polling booths. The two sealed ballot boxes would be taken to New Delhi on Monday itself”, said Parameswara. (ENS)
Karnataka: Voting begins in Bangalore’s KPCC office
Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge- one of the candidates in the party’s Presidential polls, cast their votes in the election to the top post, for which voting is underway in Karnataka on Monday.
Rahul Gandhi cast his vote in a meeting room container converted into a polling booth at the Bharat Jodo Yatra camp site in Sanganakallu in Ballari district, while Kharge voted at the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee office in Bengaluru. About 40 other Bharat Yatris, who are PCC delegates, will also be casting their votes at the camp site in Sanganakallu on Monday, which has been declared as “Rest Day” for the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
State Congress President D K Shivakumar and Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly Siddaramaiah cast their votes at the KPCC office in Bengaluru.
Karnataka will have a second voting station at Sangankallu, Bellary where Bangalore rural DK Suresh, former MP V S Ugrappa and Bellary MLA B.Nagendra who are among the 503 voters from Karnataka cast their vote, Rahul Gandhi former AICC president will also cast his vote from here. In addition, General Secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala who hails from Haryana and other national leaders are expected to cast their vote at Sangankallu where special arrangements have been made to cast their vote.
Former union minister Mr Nachiappan the PCC election officer is the one overseeing all the arrangements for the voting. CLP leader Siddaramaiah is expected to arrive at 10.30 am to cast his vote. PCC president D K Shivakumar too is expected to cast his vote in the first half. (PTI and ENS)
Tamil Nadu: Brisk polling at Sathyamurthy Bhavan
In Tamil Nadu, a total of 711 voters are eligible to cast their vote. The existing auditorium at Sathyamurthy Bhavan has been converted into a polling camp. Some of the early voters included TNCC president K S Alagiri, and senior Congress leaders Karti P Chidambaram and Peter Alphonse.
Alagiri, after casting his vote said the elections were being held in a democratic manner. He further said he was casting his vote for a second time in the party presidential poll. Karti Chidambaram after casting his vote, backed the candidature of Tharoor, saying people were looking for someone who has a fresh perspective. Tharoor is articulate, a three-time Parliamentarian and has a huge fan following, he added.(PTI)
Congress partymen and leaders during the presidential polls at Satyamurthy Bhavan. (Photo | P Jawahar, EPS)
Maharashtra: PCC Nana Patole, former state head Balasaheb Thorat cast a vote
Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole and former state unit head Balasaheb Thorat were among the first few leaders to cast their vote on Monday to elect the next All India Congress Committee (AICC) chief. Voting is underway for the Congress presidential polls as senior leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor face off for the post of the AICC chief.
A total of 797 Congress delegates from Maharashtra are eligible to cast their votes. Out of these delegates, 561 are from the party’s Maharashtra Pradesh unit, while 236 belong to the Mumbai unit. The polling is being held at Tilak Bhavan in Dadar area of Mumbai. The delegates from the state include former chief ministers Sushilkumar Shinde, Prithviraj Chavan and Ashok Chavan. (PTI)
Uttar Pradesh: Voting begins at the UP party headquarters
“Voting at the UP Congress Committee began at 10 am. Till now, around 300 party delegates have cast their votes,” UP Congress spokesperson Ashok Singh told PTI.
Around 1,250 party delegates are expected to cast their votes. Another party spokesperson Vikas Srivastava said the voting will continue till 4 pm. He said six polling booths have been set up where the delegates will cast their votes.
The PCC members will put a tick in front of the candidate of their choice, he said. (PTI)
Maharashtra Congress legislature party leader (CLP) @bb_thorat cast his vote in All India Congress president post election at Tilak Bhavan, Mumbai. @NewIndianXpress @TheMornStandard pic.twitter.com/l1ddjwYHM4
— Sudhir Suryawanshi (@ss_suryawanshi) October 17, 2022
Telangana: Hyderabad casts vote at Gandhi Bhavan
Polling was underway in Telangana for the AICC presidential election at Gandhi Bhavan, the state Congress headquarters here, on Monday.
Senior leader Mohammed Ali Shabbir cast the first vote, followed by former PCC president Ponnala Laxmaiah and K Jana Reddy, both former ministers, party sources said.
There are 238 voters from the 119 Assembly constituencies in Telangana. Member of Parliament Rajmohan Unnithan is the Pradesh Returning Officer and Raj Baghel is his deputy for the election in the state, the sources said. (PTI)
Goa: Polling begins at the state party headquarters in Panaji
Out of the total 31 delegates in Goa, “75 per cent have cast their votes so far,” a senior party leader said.
Goa Congress president Amit Patkar was among the early voters. After casting his vote, Patkar tweeted, Great feeling to cast my vote as delegate of @INCGoa from Curchorem constituency for the election of President of @INCIndia. I am sure that the Congress party will emerge stronger under the new National President across India. (PTI)
Madhya Pradesh: Former CM Kamal Nath among early voters in MP
Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath and his parliamentarian son Nakul Nath cast their votes on Monday soon after polling began to elect the next All India Congress Committee (AICC) chief.
A total of 502 delegates from Madhya Pradesh are eligible to cast their votes in the polls. Besides Kamal Nath and his son, Leader of Opposition in the MP Assembly Govind Singh also exercised his right to franchise, he said.
Around 150 delegates have so far cast their ballots for the party president’s post, he said. Electors have been asked to put a tick mark against the name of their choice on the ballot paper after AICC president candidate Tharoor’s team took up with the party’s top poll body the issue of its earlier directive that voters write “1” to reflect their preference, citing that it may lead to confusion. (PTI)
Puducherry: Brisk polling in in Pradesh Congress Committee office
PCC delegates including former chief minister V Narayanasamy, Congress Lok Sabha member V Vaithilingam, PCC president A V Subramanian, former Ministers M Kandasamy, R Kamalakannan, M O H F Shah Jahan and Congress MLA M Vaithianathan were among those who voted. (PTI)
Puducherry has 29 delegates attached to the electoral college to vote in the poll.
Jammu and Kashmir: Voting on for Cong presidential election
As many as 340 delegates are eligible to exercise their franchise. Several Congress delegates, including JKPCC president Vikar Rasool, Karan Singh, and former JKPCC president Ghulam Ahmed Mir, cast their votes here.
Speaking on the occasion, Rasool said two polling stations have been set up, one each in Srinagar and Jammu, where delegates will cast their votes. (PTI)
He said the party’s internal election was the “beauty of democracy”. “Such a process has not been seen in any party till date,” he added.
Congress party delegates cast their votes for the party’s presidential election, in Srinagar. (Photo | PTI)
Rajasthan: Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot cast his vote
Gehlot also tweeted a picture of him casting the vote. Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Govind Singh Dotasra, chief whip Mahesh Joshi, ministers BD Kalla, Vishvendra Singh, Mamta Bhupesh and several other delegates also cast their votes.
Two booths have been set up in the PCC office for voting from 10 am to 4 pm. There are 414 delegates in the state who will be casting votes. (PTI)
Andhra Pradesh: Leaders begin voting in AICC president’s election
Party spokesman Janga Gautam cast the first vote at the polling station in the Kurnool district Congress office. State Congress president Sake Sailajanath, working presidents N Thulasi Reddy, Sheik Mastanvali and other leaders also exercised their franchise.
About 350 Pradesh Congress Committee members from the state are eligible to vote in the presidential election.
Former MP Meenakshi Natarajan is acting as the election officer here. As the state Congress leadership is busy with the preparations for Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, which will re-enter AP on Tuesday, the PCC polling station for the president’s election has been set up in Kurnool. (PTI)
NEW DELHI: Voting ended on Monday in the Congress presidential poll as senior leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor faced-off for the post of AICC chief.
This is 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.
Over 9,000 Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) delegates form the electoral college to pick the party chief in a secret ballot.
Voting began at 10 am at the AICC headquarters here and at party’s polling booths in state offices across the country.
Veteran Congress leader P Chidambaram was the first to cast his vote at the AICC headquarters here, sources said.
Kharge is considered the favourite for his perceived proximity to the Gandhis and backing by senior leaders, even as Tharoor has pitched himself as the candidate of change.
#CongressPresidentPolls candidate #ShashiTharoor speaks to TNIE after casting his vote at Indira Bhavan.@HayoCyn @anilsanilan pic.twitter.com/SeXq86aNuE
— (@NewIndianXpress) October 17, 2022
Congress leaders cast their vote for the post of party president. (Photo | Special Arrangement)
Electors in the Congress presidential polls have been asked to put a tick mark against the name of their choice on the ballot paper after AICC president candidate Tharoor’s team took up with the party’s top poll body the issue of its earlier directive that voters write “1” to reflect their preference, citing that it may lead to confusion.
The polling agents for Mallikarjun Kharge are MP V K Sreekandan and MP Dean Kuriakose and former MLAs V S Sivakumar and A A Shukkoor. The polling agents for Tharoor are Mannamoola Rajan, R Sivakumar, Sanal Kumar and Vijayachandran.
Prior to the start of the election, Kodikunnil said once the elections are over the party will be united. “But Tharoor should have withdrawn from the race. There is no scope of rivalry once the elections are over”, said Kodikunnil.
WATCH |
During the campaign, even though Tharoor raised issues of uneven playing field, both candidates and the party have maintained that the Gandhis are neutral and that there is no “official candidate”.
Ahead of the polling, Kharge had said he would have no shame in taking the advice and support of the Gandhi family in running the party affairs, in case he becomes its president, as they have struggled and put their strength for its growth. The veteran leader had said he is the “delegates’ candidate” in these polls.
Tharoor casts his vote
Congress presidential candidate Shashi Tharoor casts his vote at the party office, in Thiruvananthapuram. (Photo | PTI)
Tharoor who is the cynosure of all eyes reached Indira Bhavan after offering prayers at Pazhavangadi Ganapathi Temple at 10.45 am.
After casting his vote, Tharoor told TNIE that he had called Kharge this morning and wished him luck. Reacting to the question on four block presidents acting as his polling agents, Tharoor said he wants to convey that they are the grassroots workers of the party who plays a crucial role.
“The opponent candidate has roped in MPs and former MLAs. But my polling agents are ordinary Congress party workers”, said Tharoor to TNIE.
Later Tharoor told the media contingent that he is getting good feedback from his polling agents. “There might be difference of opinion among the leaders. But from tomorrow onwards, all of us would be working united”, added Tharoor.
ALSO READ | Gandhi’s Kharge? Independent Tharoor? Congress to elect party chief after two decades
Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra arrive to cast their votes for the party’s Presidential election at AICC headquarters. (Photo | PTI)
Outgoing party chief Sonia Gandhi on Monday said she had been waiting for a long time for this day.
Sonia Gandhi and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra came together at the AICC headquarters and cast their vote.
When asked by reporters about the polls, Sonia Gandhi said, “I have been waiting for a long time for this day.”
Later, former prime minister Manmohan Singh also cast his ballot in the polls at the party headquarters where the 68th polling booth for the AICC presidential poll has been set up.
Several senior leaders such as general secretary Jairam Ramesh, Ambika Soni, Ajay Maken and Vivek Tankha, among others, cast their votes at the party headquarters.
Congress leaders Ashok Gehlot, Kamal Nath, DK Shivakumar, and Pawan Kumar Bansal cast their votes to elect the party’s new chief. (Photos | PTI)
UPDATES FROM POLLING BOOTHS
Kerala: Voting starts at the State party headquarters at Indira Bhavan
Indira Bhavan which is the cynosure of all eyes saw a large posse of KPCC office bearers and also those who don’t have the voting rights converge at the party headquarters much before the start of the election. The voting began at 9 am. A large queue was formed in front of Indira Bhavan where leaders from across the State came to cast their votes.
The polling agents for Mallikarjun Kharge are MP V K Sreekandan and MP Dean Kuriakose and former MLAs V S Sivakumar and A A Shukkoor. The polling agents for Tharoor are Mannamoola Rajan, R Sivakumar, Sanal Kumar and Vijayachandran. Prior to the start of the election, Kodikunnil said once the elections are over the party will be united.
“But Tharoor should have withdrawn from the race. There is no scope of rivalry once the elections are over”, said Kodikunnil.
P T Ajayamohan, Veliyankode block in Ponnani Assembly constituency in Malappuram and son of former legislator P T Mohanakrishnan was the first KPCC office bearer to cast his vote. State Congress general secretary K A Thulasi whose leg was in a cast was wheeled inside a wheelchair and was accompanied by her husband, V K Sreekandan, Palakkad MP.
Her leg was fractured during the course of the Bharat Jodo Yatra. The Kerala Pradesh Returning Officer G Parameswara and Assistant Returning Officer, V K Arivazhagan told reporters that anyone who puts other than a tick mark will be considered as an invalid vote. “The voting would conclude at 4 pm. There are two polling booths. The two sealed ballot boxes would be taken to New Delhi on Monday itself”, said Parameswara. (ENS)
Karnataka: Voting begins in Bangalore’s KPCC office
Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge- one of the candidates in the party’s Presidential polls, cast their votes in the election to the top post, for which voting is underway in Karnataka on Monday.
Rahul Gandhi cast his vote in a meeting room container converted into a polling booth at the Bharat Jodo Yatra camp site in Sanganakallu in Ballari district, while Kharge voted at the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee office in Bengaluru. About 40 other Bharat Yatris, who are PCC delegates, will also be casting their votes at the camp site in Sanganakallu on Monday, which has been declared as “Rest Day” for the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
State Congress President D K Shivakumar and Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly Siddaramaiah cast their votes at the KPCC office in Bengaluru.
Karnataka will have a second voting station at Sangankallu, Bellary where Bangalore rural DK Suresh, former MP V S Ugrappa and Bellary MLA B.Nagendra who are among the 503 voters from Karnataka cast their vote, Rahul Gandhi former AICC president will also cast his vote from here. In addition, General Secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala who hails from Haryana and other national leaders are expected to cast their vote at Sangankallu where special arrangements have been made to cast their vote.
Former union minister Mr Nachiappan the PCC election officer is the one overseeing all the arrangements for the voting. CLP leader Siddaramaiah is expected to arrive at 10.30 am to cast his vote. PCC president D K Shivakumar too is expected to cast his vote in the first half. (PTI and ENS)
Tamil Nadu: Brisk polling at Sathyamurthy Bhavan
In Tamil Nadu, a total of 711 voters are eligible to cast their vote. The existing auditorium at Sathyamurthy Bhavan has been converted into a polling camp. Some of the early voters included TNCC president K S Alagiri, and senior Congress leaders Karti P Chidambaram and Peter Alphonse.
Alagiri, after casting his vote said the elections were being held in a democratic manner. He further said he was casting his vote for a second time in the party presidential poll. Karti Chidambaram after casting his vote, backed the candidature of Tharoor, saying people were looking for someone who has a fresh perspective. Tharoor is articulate, a three-time Parliamentarian and has a huge fan following, he added.(PTI)
Congress partymen and leaders during the presidential polls at Satyamurthy Bhavan. (Photo | P Jawahar, EPS)
Maharashtra: PCC Nana Patole, former state head Balasaheb Thorat cast a vote
Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole and former state unit head Balasaheb Thorat were among the first few leaders to cast their vote on Monday to elect the next All India Congress Committee (AICC) chief. Voting is underway for the Congress presidential polls as senior leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor face off for the post of the AICC chief.
A total of 797 Congress delegates from Maharashtra are eligible to cast their votes. Out of these delegates, 561 are from the party’s Maharashtra Pradesh unit, while 236 belong to the Mumbai unit. The polling is being held at Tilak Bhavan in Dadar area of Mumbai. The delegates from the state include former chief ministers Sushilkumar Shinde, Prithviraj Chavan and Ashok Chavan. (PTI)
Uttar Pradesh: Voting begins at the UP party headquarters
“Voting at the UP Congress Committee began at 10 am. Till now, around 300 party delegates have cast their votes,” UP Congress spokesperson Ashok Singh told PTI.
Around 1,250 party delegates are expected to cast their votes. Another party spokesperson Vikas Srivastava said the voting will continue till 4 pm. He said six polling booths have been set up where the delegates will cast their votes.
The PCC members will put a tick in front of the candidate of their choice, he said. (PTI)
Maharashtra Congress legislature party leader (CLP) @bb_thorat cast his vote in All India Congress president post election at Tilak Bhavan, Mumbai. @NewIndianXpress @TheMornStandard pic.twitter.com/l1ddjwYHM4
— Sudhir Suryawanshi (@ss_suryawanshi) October 17, 2022
Telangana: Hyderabad casts vote at Gandhi Bhavan
Polling was underway in Telangana for the AICC presidential election at Gandhi Bhavan, the state Congress headquarters here, on Monday.
Senior leader Mohammed Ali Shabbir cast the first vote, followed by former PCC president Ponnala Laxmaiah and K Jana Reddy, both former ministers, party sources said.
There are 238 voters from the 119 Assembly constituencies in Telangana. Member of Parliament Rajmohan Unnithan is the Pradesh Returning Officer and Raj Baghel is his deputy for the election in the state, the sources said. (PTI)
Goa: Polling begins at the state party headquarters in Panaji
Out of the total 31 delegates in Goa, “75 per cent have cast their votes so far,” a senior party leader said.
Goa Congress president Amit Patkar was among the early voters. After casting his vote, Patkar tweeted, Great feeling to cast my vote as delegate of @INCGoa from Curchorem constituency for the election of President of @INCIndia. I am sure that the Congress party will emerge stronger under the new National President across India. (PTI)
Madhya Pradesh: Former CM Kamal Nath among early voters in MP
Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath and his parliamentarian son Nakul Nath cast their votes on Monday soon after polling began to elect the next All India Congress Committee (AICC) chief.
A total of 502 delegates from Madhya Pradesh are eligible to cast their votes in the polls. Besides Kamal Nath and his son, Leader of Opposition in the MP Assembly Govind Singh also exercised his right to franchise, he said.
Around 150 delegates have so far cast their ballots for the party president’s post, he said. Electors have been asked to put a tick mark against the name of their choice on the ballot paper after AICC president candidate Tharoor’s team took up with the party’s top poll body the issue of its earlier directive that voters write “1” to reflect their preference, citing that it may lead to confusion. (PTI)
Puducherry: Brisk polling in in Pradesh Congress Committee office
PCC delegates including former chief minister V Narayanasamy, Congress Lok Sabha member V Vaithilingam, PCC president A V Subramanian, former Ministers M Kandasamy, R Kamalakannan, M O H F Shah Jahan and Congress MLA M Vaithianathan were among those who voted. (PTI)
Puducherry has 29 delegates attached to the electoral college to vote in the poll.
Jammu and Kashmir: Voting on for Cong presidential election
As many as 340 delegates are eligible to exercise their franchise. Several Congress delegates, including JKPCC president Vikar Rasool, Karan Singh, and former JKPCC president Ghulam Ahmed Mir, cast their votes here.
Speaking on the occasion, Rasool said two polling stations have been set up, one each in Srinagar and Jammu, where delegates will cast their votes. (PTI)
He said the party’s internal election was the “beauty of democracy”. “Such a process has not been seen in any party till date,” he added.
Congress party delegates cast their votes for the party’s presidential election, in Srinagar. (Photo | PTI)
Rajasthan: Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot cast his vote
Gehlot also tweeted a picture of him casting the vote. Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Govind Singh Dotasra, chief whip Mahesh Joshi, ministers BD Kalla, Vishvendra Singh, Mamta Bhupesh and several other delegates also cast their votes.
Two booths have been set up in the PCC office for voting from 10 am to 4 pm. There are 414 delegates in the state who will be casting votes. (PTI)
Andhra Pradesh: Leaders begin voting in AICC president’s election
Party spokesman Janga Gautam cast the first vote at the polling station in the Kurnool district Congress office. State Congress president Sake Sailajanath, working presidents N Thulasi Reddy, Sheik Mastanvali and other leaders also exercised their franchise.
About 350 Pradesh Congress Committee members from the state are eligible to vote in the presidential election.
Former MP Meenakshi Natarajan is acting as the election officer here. As the state Congress leadership is busy with the preparations for Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, which will re-enter AP on Tuesday, the PCC polling station for the president’s election has been set up in Kurnool. (PTI)
Source link
