Cong prez poll: Rahul votes at Yatra campsite; DKS, Siddu at KPCC office

BENGALURU: The much anticipated election in the Indian National Congress for the post of AICC president was held on Monday. Senior party leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor are in the fray.

The Congress party’s Central Election Authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry conducted final checks before voting for the party’s presidential election began at the AICC office in New Delhi.

Madhusudhan Mistry overseeing final preparations for the Congress presidential election at the AICC office Delhi

While party chief Sonia Gandhi and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra voted at the AICC headquarters, Rahul Gandhi, who is leading the party’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, voted at the yatra campsite at Sanganakallu in Ballari district. A meeting room was converted into a polling booth for the benefit of the Yatris who are eligible to vote.

A meeting room converted into a polling booth in KarnatakaMallikarjuna Kharge cast his vote at the KPCC office on Queen’s road in Bengaluru while the other contestant, Shashi Tharoor, cast his vote at the Kerala Congress headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram.

The voting process began at 10 am and ended at 4 pm at the KPCC office in Bengaluru. There were three booths arranged in the Congress office in the city.

Nachiyappan was appointed as District Returning Officer for the AICC president election. About 9,100 voters are eligible to vote across the country, and a total of 494 people are eligible voters in the state. In all, 479 PCC members and 15 party functionaries cast votes on behalf of the Congress legislature party.

This is a historic election for the Congress party. A total of 40 KPCC members cast their votes, apart from Rahul Gandhi, at the Sanganakalla camp.

The voters include KPCC members, AICC members, AICC secretaries, KPCC presidents, working presidents, CLP leaders and MPs. KPCC president D K Shivakumar, Opposition leader Siddaramaiah, B K Hariprasad, K H Muniyappa, M B Patil and others voted at the KPCC office.

Voting was held through ballot paper, after the voting process, the ballot box will be dispatched to a strong room in Delhi. The counting of votes and declaration of results is scheduled in Delhi on October 19.