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2022 Indian National Congress leadership election

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2022 Indian National Congress leadership election
17 October 2022
Turnout95.78%[1]
 
Candidate Mallikarjun Kharge Shashi Tharoor
Percentage 84.14% 11.42%
President before election

Sonia Gandhi (interim)

 Elected President

Mallikarjun Kharge

The 2022 Indian National Congress leadership election was an internal party election that was held to elect the next president of the Indian National Congress. A formal notification for the election was issued on 22 September 2022. The election was held on 17 October 2022 and counting of votes took place on 19 October 2022.[4] Mallikarjun Kharge won the election amassing 7,897 votes compared to 1,072 of Shashi Tharoor.

The election was triggered by resignation of Rahul Gandhi as party leader on 10 August 2019. However, the party's presidium, the All India Congress Committee, elected former president Sonia Gandhi as interim president. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the election for the next president was postponed until 2022.[5] The election was administered by the party's Central Election Authority headed by Madhusudan Mistry.[6][7]

Background

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Rahul Gandhi was unanimously elected as president in 2017.[8] However, following the party's poor performance in the 2019 Indian general election, Gandhi resigned.[9][10] Sonia Gandhi was selected by the party's presidium as the interim president. Sonia Gandhi is Rahul Gandhi's mother, and was the party's longest serving president from 1998 to 2017.[11]

It was reported by news outlets that Rahul Gandhi was not likely to contest the election.[12][13] It was confirmed by Congress spokesperson Jairam Ramesh that Rahul Gandhi would not file nomination for the election.[14][15] Rahul Gandhi told Ashok Gehlot that no member of the Gandhi family should be the next President.[16]

Prior elections

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The last party leadership election was held in 2017, which Rahul Gandhi won unanimously.[17] The last contested election was held in 2000, when Sonia Gandhi defeated Jitendra Prasada by a huge margin of 97%.[18] She had been repeatedly selected for the position without any election being held.[19]

Nomination

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On 19 September 2022, it was reported that Shashi Tharoor and Ashok Gehlot were interested in running for the post. Both Tharoor and Ashok officially confirmed on 24 September that they would be running for the post. Gehlot and Tharoor confirmed they would file their nominations in the coming days. During the same day Sonia Gandhi met Anand Sharma a prominent leader of the G-23 on the discussion of the post and Himachal Pradesh Election.[20][21][22] In the following days various reports emerged that Digvijaya Singh was looking to compete for the post and has started collecting signatures from party members for his nominations. During the process for nominations, multiple Congress MPs flew to Delhi to support various candidates. On 29 September, Digvijaya Singh officially announced he would be contesting for the post and that he would file his papers on 30 September.[23][24]

Post Gehlot announcing his intentions to run for the post, multiple MLA in Rajasthan expressed dissatisfaction. Concerns over the government power in Rajasthan grew within the party, with pro-Gehlot MLAs planning on submitting resignations if Sachin Pilot were to become the CM.[25][26][27] On 29 September, Gehlot met with Congress president Sonia Gandhi for an hour long meeting, post meeting Gehlot confirmed he will no longer be contesting for the post. Later reports emerged that former Jharkhand MLA, K. N. Tripathi was looking to enter the race which was confirmed few hours later.[28][29]

On 30 September, Shashi Tharoor and K. N. Tripathi officially filed their nomination for the post while Digvijaya Singh pulled out on the last minute. After various meetings from 28 to 30 September, several senior leaders decided to support Mallikarjun Kharge for the post. Singh and Gehlot who pulled out from the contest earlier announced they will be extending their support to Kharge, whereas Tripathi's nomination was rejected by the AICC Central Election Authority.[30][31][32][33]

Schedule

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The election schedule was announced by the Congress Working Committee on 28 August 2022.[4]

Event Schedule
Date of Notification 22 September 2022
Date for Nominations 24 September 2022
Last Date for filing Nominations 30 September 2022
Date for scrutiny of nominations 1 October 2022
Last date for withdrawal of candidatures 8 October 2022
Date of poll 17 October 2022
Date of counting 19 October 2022

Candidates

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Nominated

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Candidate Political office Campaign announced
(Nomination filed) 		Ref

Shashi Tharoor 		Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha from Thiruvananthapuram (2009–present) 24 September 2022
(30 September 2022) 		[34][35][36]

Mallikarjun Kharge 		Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha (2021–present)
Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha from Karnataka (2020–present) 		30 September 2022
(30 September 2022) 		[37][31][32]

Rejected

[edit]
Candidate Political office Campaign announced
(Nomination filed) 		Nomination rejected Ref

Krishna Nand Tripathi 		Member of Legislative Assembly, Jharkhand from Daltonganj (2009–2014) 29 September 2022
(30 September 2022) 		1 October 2022 [38][39][33]

Withdrew

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Candidate Political office Campaign announced Campaign suspended Ref

Ashok Gehlot 		Chief Minister of Rajasthan (1998–2003, 2008–2013, 2018–2023)
Member of Legislative Assembly, Rajasthan from Sardarpura (1998–present) 		23 September 2022 29 September 2022 [40][41][28][42]

Digvijaya Singh 		Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh (2014–present) 29 September 2022 30 September 2022 [43][44][45]

Declined

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Incidents

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On the day of counting, Tharoor's team alleged electoral fraud and said that there were "extremely serious irregularities" in Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee. They also cited serious issues with polls in Punjab and Telangana. Tharoor's chief election agent, Salman Soz further alleged that poll agents were threatened when reporting cases of voter malpractice.[47][48]

After the allegations were leaked to the media, the Tharoor camp softened their stance and met with Madhusudan Mistry, the Congress central election authority chairman. After the meeting, Soz was assured of a proper probe and the issue was dismissed by Mistry as a "general complaint" whose accusations were not specific.[49]

Results

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The results were announced on 19 October 2022.[50]

Candidate PCC Delegates' vote
Votes %

Mallikarjun Kharge 		7,897 84.14%

Shashi Tharoor 		1,072 11.42%
Invalid votes 416 4.43%
Votes counted 9,385

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Congress Presidential poll sees 95.78% turnout from delegates". Deccan Herald. 17 October 2022. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
  2. ^ "New Congress President - Mallikarjun Kharge: 7897, Shashi Tharoor: 1072". NDTV. 19 October 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  3. ^ "Congress votes to elect its next party president". Hindustan Times. 17 October 2022. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Congress president election to be held on Oct 17, CWC announces revised schedule". Hindustan Times. 28 August 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  5. ^ "Elections for Congress party president further postponed due to Covid-19 pandemic". The New Indian Express. 10 May 2021. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  6. ^ Phukan, Sandeep (3 October 2022). "Congress presidential polls | CEA issues dos and don'ts for 'fair' election". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  7. ^ "Central Election Authority". Indian National Congress. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  8. ^ "Rahul Gandhi elected Congress president unopposed, to take charge on Dec 16". Times of India. 11 December 2017. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  9. ^ "Full text of Rahul Gandhi's resignation letter". India Today. 3 July 2019. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  10. ^ "Rahul Gandhi says he is no longer Congress president, urges party to 'radically transform itself'". Scroll.in.
  11. ^ "Rahul Gandhi takes over as Congress president". 16 December 2017. Retrieved 12 November 2017.
  12. ^ "Rahul Gandhi unlikely to contest for Congress party president post: Report". mint. 20 September 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  13. ^ "Rahul Gandhi not likely to contest Congress president polls". ANI News. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  14. ^ a b "In big hint, Congress indicates Rahul Gandhi won't contest president election | India News - Times of India". The Times of India. 23 September 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  15. ^ "'If Rahul Gandhi flies to Delhi on Sept 23, it won't be for…': Jairam Ramesh". Hindustan Times. 21 September 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  16. ^ a b "No Gandhi family member should be next Congress chief: Rahul Gandhi tells Ashok Gehlot". India Today. 23 September 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  17. ^ "Rahul Gandhi chosen unanimously by 9,000 PCC delegates". The Indian Express. 4 December 2017. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  18. ^ "Congress prez poll: When Jitendra Prasada challenged Sonia Gandhi and lost". Business Standard India. 30 August 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  19. ^ "The Long Reign Of Sonia Gandhi As Congress Party President". www.outlookindia.com/. 16 October 2022. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  20. ^ Phukan, Sandeep (24 September 2022). "Congress president election | Shashi Tharoor set to file papers next week". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  21. ^ Sudhi, K. S. (23 September 2022). "Ashok Gehlot announces run for Congress president, say Sonia Gandhi will pick his successor". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  22. ^ "Ashok Gehlot makes it official: Will contest for Congress top post". The Indian Express. 23 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  23. ^ "Digvijaya Singh Is On. Congress President Polls Gets Another Contender". NDTV.com. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  24. ^ "Congress president polls: Digvijaya Singh collects nomination forms, confirms he is contesting for chief's post". The Indian Express. 29 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  25. ^ "After Ashok Gehlot, Sachin Pilot To Meet Sonia Gandhi Later Today: Report". NDTV.com. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  26. ^ "Rajasthan government crisis: Main actors in Jaipur's political theatre". The Economic Times. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  27. ^ "Rajasthan Congress crisis Highlights: CM Gehlot not resigning today, will meet central leadership in Delhi this evening, says PS Khachariyawas". The Indian Express. 26 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  28. ^ a b "Congress chief post: Ashok Gehlot opts out of the race for Congress President". mint. 29 September 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  29. ^ "Congress presidential polls: Former Jharkhand MLA K N Tripathi enters race". The Economic Times. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  30. ^ "Congress President Elections: Shashi Tharoor, KN Tripathi file nominations". Firstpost. 30 September 2022. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  31. ^ a b "Amid growing support, Kharge files nomination to contest Congress prez polls". Hindustan Times. 30 September 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  32. ^ a b "Kharge files nomination for Cong president poll". The Economic Times. 30 September 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  33. ^ a b "Former Jharkhand Minister KN Tripathi's Nomination For Congress Top Post Rejected". NDTV.com. 1 October 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  34. ^ Sardesai, Rajdeep; Bhardwaj, Supriya (19 September 2022). "Shashi Tharoor to run for Congress president, gets Sonia Gandhi's nod: Sources". India Today. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  35. ^ Phukan, Sandeep (24 September 2022). "Congress president election | Shashi Tharoor set to file papers next week". The Hindu.
  36. ^ "Shashi Tharoor files nomination for Cong presidential poll, says he is for change while Mallikarjun Kharge is 'candidate of continuity'". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  37. ^ "Congress polls | Mallikarjun Kharge to contest, says Pramod Tiwari". The Hindu. PTI. 30 September 2022. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  38. ^ "K N Tripathi: Ex-minister from Jharkhand stakes claim for post of Congress prez". mint. 30 September 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  39. ^ "Former Jharkhand minister K N Tripathi files nomination for Congress presidential poll". Deccan Herald. 30 September 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  40. ^ "Ashok Gehlot makes it official: Will contest for Congress top post". The Indian Express. 23 September 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  41. ^ Sudhi, K. S. (23 September 2022). "Ashok Gehlot announces run for Congress president, say Sonia Gandhi will pick his successor". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  42. ^ "Won't contest Congress chief polls, apologise to Sonia Gandhi: Ashok Gehlot". Hindustan Times. 29 September 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  43. ^ "Digvijaya Singh confirms Cong president poll bid, to file nomination tomorrow". Hindustan Times. 29 September 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  44. ^ "Congress prez poll: Digvijaya Singh opts out citing Kharge's decision to contest". Hindustan Times. 30 September 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  45. ^ "Congress president poll anti-climax: Digvijaya Singh pulls out; it's now Shashi Tharoor vs Mallikarjuna Kharge". Firstpost. 30 September 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  46. ^ "Sonia Gandhi urges Ashok Gehlot to 'lead' Congress". The Hindu. 23 August 2022. Archived from the original on 26 August 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  47. ^ Livemint (19 October 2022). "Cong President LIVE: Tharoor's election agent alleges serious irregularities". mint. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  48. ^ Livemint (19 October 2022). "'Serious irregularities' in Cong Chief poll, team Tharoor's 4 big allegations". mint. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  49. ^ "Mistry terms baseless Tharoor's election complaint of voter fraud in UP".
  50. ^ "LIVE: Shashi Tharoor concedes Congress president poll defeat, wishes Mallikarjun Kharge 'all success'". Hindustan Times. 19 October 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
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