In a predictable turn of events, Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor received a muted response from well-known faces of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC), who stayed away from his campaign at Sathyamurthy Bhavan on Thursday. Mr. Tharoor, however, has defiantly said that he wouldn’t withdraw his nomination for the Congress President’s election, scheduled on October 17.
There were only handful of TNCC office-bearers among the 710 delegates from Tamil Nadu who are eligible to vote in the elections, which is perhaps an indication of the support elicited by Mr. Tharoor and his campaign. Responding to the question about the reluctance of delegates and leaders to be seen with him, Mr. Tharoor said it was rather unfortunate that doubts were being cast over the words of the Congress president Sonia Gandhi and the Gandhi family.
“I did see Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, and they said will be neutral. When they say that there would be free and fair elections, they [party delegates] must believe it. The chief election authority has said that it is not right to say there is an official candidate and that he (CEA chairman Madhusudhan Mistry) is going to ensure a totally secret ballot. No one can know who voted for whom. Few people have misinterpreted the declared position of the Congress president and Gandhi family,” he said.
