Bhubaneswar: Veteran Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge met Odisha Congress leaders here Friday and sought their support for his candidature in the AICC presidential election, scheduled to be held October 17. Mallikarjun Kharge later talked to mediapersons. He said he has resigned from Leader of Opposition and filed nomination for the AICC president’s election after receiving calls from many of his party leaders.
Kharge said he has no other manifesto to contest the election within the party. He said he will implement the outcomes of the Chintan Shivir held at Udaipur in Rajasthan four months ago.
“About 1,000 Congress leaders across the country had participated in the deliberation and the outcomes also called ‘Udaipur Declaration’. It is my priority,” Kharge said.
Kharge said he is committed to implementing the party’s decision to give priority to leaders of less than 50 years old in decision-making.
Kharge and Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor are in the fray for Congress presidential poll as the party high command has decided that, this time, no one from Gandhi family will contest for the post.
It should however, be also stated here that Tharoor has expressed displeasure at the way the polls are being conducted. He has criticised the way the party leaders are openly expressing their support for Kharge. Time and again Tharoor has called for ‘fair’ polls.
