Shashi Tharoor stated that as the Congress Presidential Election draws near, certain senior party leaders are issuing voting instructions to the other delegates and that people are concerned about the results if they defy their leader’s wishes. In Madhya Pradesh, Tharoor spoke to the media and urged the Congress delegates not to feel pressured to vote against their own preferences because their votes would be anonymous.
Few leaders attempted to provide voting instructions in some states, and those who disobeyed them were afraid of the results. I’d want to underline that voting will be anonymous, so no one will be able to tell which state received more votes, Tharoor remarked to the reporters.
The statement came after Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday publicly endorsed Mallikarjun Kharge, a rival of Tharoor, and urged others in his state to do the same. Gehlot’s backing for Kharge, however, was against the Central Election Authority (CEA) rules of the Congress, which prohibited party office holders from publicly showing bias toward a candidate.
When asked if he would request Gehlot’s removal from office, Tharoor responded, ‘It’s up to Congress’ CEA chairman to take action on it. No office holders should participate in a candidate’s campaign, he had made it quite plain. It’s true that I didn’t experience the same level of kindness and fairness anywhere else.’
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