Tharoor vs Kharge – Differences among Kerala leaders on Congress prez poll

Thiruvananthapuram/Kochi: As the stage is all set for a contest between party leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor in the Congress presidential polls, differences have cropped up among party leaders in Kerala on who should be supported in the elections to the top post.

If a section of senior leaders including Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the state Assembly V D Satheesan openly extended their support to Kharge, some young leaders like Lok Sabha MP Hibi Eden expressed solidarity with Tharoor in his contest.

Talking to reporters in Kochi, Satheesan said state leaders and workers including him would work for the success of Kharge and they were waiting for the proud moment to see a Dalit becoming the president of the Congress.

"He has been nominated after consulting with all senior leaders. So, Kharge will be supported. The contest for the party's presidential post is the beauty of democracy. Congress is a democratic party," he said.

Asking whether such a contest can be expected in the parties like CPI(M) or BJP, he said their practice was to take such decisions by "someone somewhere".

Rejecting criticism regarding 80-year-old Kharge's advanced age, Satheesan said he is an experienced politician coming to the leadership.

Age is not a factor and the advantage of the leader's experience should be made use of, the LoP said.

He, however, made it clear that the support extended to Tharoor by some state party leaders would not cause any rift in the Congress in Kerala.

Sharing similar views, senior leader and MLA Ramesh Chennithala said Kharge was one of the senior-most leaders of the country who can contribute to the Indian National Congress in a remarkable way with his experience and leadership skills.

A Dalit person becoming the chief of Congress is the necessity of the time, he said adding that Kharge's impending elevation to the top post would give the party more strength.

Describing Tharoor as his "good friend", Chennithala said he has all the freedom to contest in the polls as Congress is a democratic party but in the present circumstance, Kharge coming to the presidential post was good for the party.

Meanwhile, Lok Sabha MP Hibi Eden expressed his support to Tharoor by posting a photo of the Thiruvananthapuram MP on his Facebook page.

K M Abhijith, state president of Congress' students' union KSU, also extended support and greetings to Tharoor through social media.

Former Jharkhand minister K N Tripathi's nomination for the Congress presidential election was rejected on Saturday, leaving party leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor in the fray.

The three had filed nominations on Friday, the last day of the process.

More than 9,000 Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) delegates from across the country will vote in the election.