Tharoor alleges uneven playing field, Kharge denies

New Delhi: In a new twist to Congress president election, party's presidential candidate Shashi Tharoor has on Thursday alleged that a few party leaders are openly supporting his opponent Mallikarjun Kharge that has disturbed the level-playing field.

However, Mallikarjun Kharge has denied any such incident by saying that there is no difference between him and Tharoor.

Tharoor 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.

While seeking votes from delegates at the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) on Thursday, Tharoor said that he wanted to bring a "change" in the organisation. He further added that he would work to "bring back" the voters who did not support the Congress in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

The Kerala MP, who is reportedly claimed to be a member of G-23, further said that he could not meet some delegates as their contact details were "missing" from the list he received.

"There were incomplete contact details in the list of delegates that we received. Some lists had names but no contact numbers, some had names but no proper address. Hence, it was difficult to reach out to them," Tharoor said, adding he did not "blame anyone" for the "incomplete" lists and that there are "flaws" in the party's system as no such election was held in 22 years.

Responding to Tharoor's "uneven playing field" remark, Kharge said, "We are brothers. Someone can speak in a certain manner, whereas I can do it in a different way."

"There are no differences between us and I don't have any complaints against this. Instead, there is a long way ahead where we both, with the support from all of you, have to raise our voices against the ruling party regarding inflation, unemployment, fall of rupee and other issues that have been affecting the common man," Kharge said.

Notably, Kharge is being seen as a favourite for the party's key post due to his long term association with the Gandhi family. However, the Gandhis have made it clear at the beginning that they will remain neutral. The voting for the Congress president post is on October 17 and counting of votes will be done on October 19.