Ahead of the final battle between senior Congress leaders for the post of party chief, Shashi Tharoor, one of the two contenders, said the revival of the grand old party had begun regardless of the outcome. Tharoor was responding to a tweet by party colleague Salman Soza, who praised Tharoor’s “courage against heavy odds” and “the determination of our dedicated volunteers”.
“Dear Shashi Tharoor: It was an honor to be a part of your campaign for Congress President. Your courage against difficult odds was matched by the determination of our dedicated volunteers. These elections will spur reforms. I have no doubt. Let’s vote!” Soz tweeted. Thanking Soza and the Congress volunteers “who braved the odds”, Tharoor tweeted that “whatever the outcome, the restoration of the Congress has begun”.
“Thank you @SalmanSoz and our dedicated team of volunteers @incIndia who defied the odds and worked impossible hours to get our message out. Today, our fellow voters will choose the president they want. Whatever happens, the restoration of the Congress has begun,” he said. In another tweet, Tharoor said, “Some people play it safe to not lose. But if you play it safe, you’re bound to lose.”
He expressed confidence in winning the election, but acknowledged the odds were stacked against him. Speaking to reporters in his home constituency of Thiruvananthapuram, Tharoor said “the odds were stacked against us as party leaders and the establishment were overwhelmingly with the second candidate,”. With Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra not in the race, Congress has decided to have a non-Gandhi president in over 24 years. More than 9,000 Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) delegates form the electoral college to choose the party chief in a secret ballot.
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