The October 17 presidential poll of the Congress Party is set to witness a fierce contest between party veteran Mallikarjun Kharge and rebel Sashi Tharoor. Initially, the battle was predicted to be a walkover for Kharge as he has the blessings of the all-powerful Gandhi family. But former top ranking UN official Tharoor has made it quite a close affair by successfully reaching out to younger generations of the party. Among others, young leaders like Karti Chidambaram and Salman Soz, sons of two eminent Congress leaders, have joined the Tharoor camp defying the unofficial party decision. Tharoor is also getting the support of dissidents from various states, who have long been denied a share of power. In West Bengal for instance, a majority of party delegates are in no mood to vote for Kharge as they believe that only internal democracy can revive the party. Similarly, there is a question mark over Rajasthan, where the Ghelot loyalists may not support Kharge as that will cause unce
In run up to elections for the party President, top Congress leaders face a challenge as the party has asked them, especially the office-bearers to remain neutral between the two contenders - Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor - or to quit .
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