From Our Bureau
NEW DELHI: The Congress is on Monday having the presidential poll only for the sixth time in its history of 137 years with 80-year old Mallikarjun Kharge, who quit as leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha to enter the fray, all set to sweep defeating Kerala MP Shashi Tharoor, with no prospects of any upset as it happened twice in the past.
In the first election way back in 1939, Mahatma Gandhi-sponsored candidate P Sitaramayya had lost to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. In the post-Independence poll in 1950, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru-sponsored Acharya Kripalani lost to Purushottam Das Tandon, who was backed by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
In 1977 following the resignation of Dev Kant Barooah, who had coined the slogan of “Indira is India and India is Indira” as the president, K Brahmananda Reddy defeated Dr Karn Singh and Siddhart Shankar Ray.
The next election needed a contest 20 years later in 1997 when then AICC treasurerSitaram Kesari squared off in a triangular contest to defeat Sharad Pawar and Rajesh Patel. Except for Maharashtra and Parts of Uttar Pradesh, all state Congress units backed Kesari to give him a landslide victory with 6,224 votes of the delegates as against Pawar finishing with 882 votes and Pilot still worse with just 354 votes.
Another contest came in 2000, the only time the Gandhi family member was challenged in the election but without success as Jitendra Prasada, who has been the AICC vice-president, suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Sonia Gandhi, who mustered over 7,400 voes with Prasada reportedly polling a paltry 94.
Shashi Tharoor did not lose the spirit despite all odds against him as he protested on Sunday on the election authority asking the delegates to mark “1” before the name of the candidate whom they want to vote. His protest was that it is an indirect way to promote prospects of Kharge who is No 1 on the ballot paper. Former Gujarat MP Madhusudan Mistry acted quickly to remove the charge on the poll authority by deciding that the delegates should put the tick mark on the candidate they seek to vote.
Kharge, who was seen as the party’s official candidate despite denials by Gandhis and the party, talked of a collective leadership to run the party and felt nothing wrong in taking the advice of the Gandhi family that has struggled, sacrificed and built up the party. Tharoor talked of strengthening the party by empowering the state congress presidents who were marginalised since the days of Indira Gandhi
