PremiumOn the eve of the Congress Presidential polls that will see senior leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor compete for the position held by Sonia Gandhi for so long, General Secretary in-charge of Communications for the party Jairam Ramesh has answered what everybody wanted to know- Where will Rahul Gandhi vote?
For context, Rahul Gandhi has embarked on his Bharat Jodo Yatra since 7 September. He aims to cover a distance of 3,500 km, covering as many as 12 states. The Yatra started from Kanyakumari and will end in Kashmir the following year by covering 25 km every day.
It is not the first time that a non-Gandhi leader is contesting for the party presidency post-Independence, Jitendra Prasad contested for the post of president about 22 years ago against Sonia Gandhi in which Sonia emerged as a winner holding the mantle of the party for 20 years.
Jairam Ramesh informed that Rahul Gandhi will cast his vote for the party's Presidential election at the Yatra's campsite in Sanganakallu in Karnataka. The polls for the position of president of the Grand Old Party will be held on 17 October and the counting and result will be declared on 19 October.
"There’ve been queries on where @RahulGandhi will cast his vote tomorrow for Congress Presidential election. There should be no speculation. He will be voting at the #BharatJodoYatra campsite in Sanganakallu, Ballari along with around 40 other Bharat Yatris who are PCC delegates," Ramesh said in a tweet.
Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor is pitted against veteran Congressman Mallikarjun Kharge in this polls for the post of AICC President. The 17th day of Bharat Jodo Yatra in Karnataka today began at Sanganakallu today morning and will end at Bennikallu.
The voting for the position of president will be done between 10 am and 4 pm.
"The delegates from all states will vote at their respective polling stations with a 'tick' mark for the candidate they support. Arrangements have been made for smooth polling," news agency PTI quoted Central Election Authority Chairman of Congress Madhusudan Mistry.
"Ballot boxes will reach Delhi on Oct 18 & counting of votes will be done on October 19. Polling booth set up at AICC as well, where over 50 people will vote. The whole polling process will be fair & free, no doubt about that,' the minister added.