THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Congress state headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram, Indira Bhavan, is going to be the cynosure of all eyes on Monday when the crucial party presidential election is held from 10am to 4pm. The 307 voters who are KPCC office-bearers are divided in their support for candidates Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor. Three-time Thiruvananthapuram MP Tharoor who belongs to Pattom block committee of the Congress will be casting his vote at Indira Bhavan. The top brass of the state leadership is expecting a maximum of 30 votes going in favour of Tharoor.
With less than 24 hours left for the election, the voters are inundated with recorded telephone calls from both Kharge and Tharoor seeking their support. Kharge in his English and Hindi messages recalls that the Congress party is going through a turbulent phase and this is the time when the leaders should stay united.
In his recorded message in English, Tharoor says, “The future is now to revive the Congress party which is facing challenges.” He also hails the three Gandhis in the national leadership -- Sonia, Rahul and Priyanka -- in his recorded message.
The ballot papers will reach the party headquarters on Sunday. The Kerala Pradesh returning officer G Parameswara and assistant returning officer V K Arivazhagan will be reaching Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday. State Congress general secretary (organisation) T U Radhakrishnan told TNIE that 60 leaders have collected their voter ID cards.
“We have set up arrangements for the voters to collect their voter ID cards from 9am on Monday. As per our statistics, the total KPCC office-bearers are 310 who include three leaders who are no more -- Aryadan Mohammed, Prathapavarma Thampan and Punalur Madhu,” said Radhakrishnan.
Five state leaders including a woman leader will be casting their votes outside the state. MPs Rajmohan Unnithan and Hibi Eden, Johnson Abraham, Neyyattinkara Sanal and MLA Shanimol Usman have been appointed returning officers in Hyderabad, Puducherry, Bengaluru, Chennai and Port Blair, respectively. They will be casting their votes from those cities.
Senior leader V M Sudheeran will not be casting his vote as he is abroad. A senior Congress leader on condition of anonymity told TNIE that even though it is a secret ballot, the national leadership can certainly identify the voter’s choice of candidate.
“If required, the central leadership can identify the voters of a candidate by comparing the serial number on the ballot paper and the counterfoil. We are expecting a maximum of 30 votes going in favour of Tharoor from the state” said the leader. Already, 13 leaders from the state had rallied behind Tharoor when he filed his nomination papers. But more youth leaders are expected to endorse Tharoor.
ELDOSE MAY GIVE VOTING A MISS
Perumbavoor MLA Eldose Kunnapillil, who has been on the run since the police registered a rape case, has got voting rights in the Congress presidential election. The 44-year-old is among the 14 from the Congress legislative party who are KPCC members. The party leadership is not expecting him to cast his vote at Indira Bhavan on Monday.