All eyes on Congress presidential election today
Senior Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor will face off in an electoral contest on Monday for the post of Congress chief, as the party gets ready to have a non-Gandhi president after 22 years.
The elections are being held three years after Rahul Gandhi stepped down from the top post after the second straight election defeat of the Congress in 2019. The 52-year-old, who is currently leading the party’s “Bharat Jodo” yatra, has firmly refused to return as president despite unrelenting pressure from a section of leaders.
Sonia Gandhi, who had taken a step back from party responsibilities, was persuaded to make a comeback as its interim chief in August 2019.