Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday asserted that party's presidential election is 'open & transparent' and the issues, if any, would be addressed by Central Election Authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry. The Gandhi scion remarks assumes significance after Shashi Tharoor's team flagged "extremely serious irregularities" in the conduct of the election in Uttar Pradesh and demanded that all votes from the state be deemed invalid. Senior leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor are faced-off for the post of AICC chief.
Addressing a press conference during his Bharat Jodo Yatra's which is now crossing Andhra Pradesh, Rahul Gandhi said, "We're the only political party in country that holds polls and has election commission. I've worked with Mistry Ji (Cong CEC chairman), he's straightforward. Issues will be addressed to EC, who'll take a decision."
Targeting BJP Gandhi said, "Everyone asks questions about polls in Congress. I'm proud that Congress has had open & transparent polls. Why is nobody interested in elections in other parties, including the BJP and other regional parties?."
Tharoor's allegations
Congress presidential poll candidate Shashi Tharoor's team has written to the party's chief election authority, flagging "extremely serious irregularities" in the conduct of the election in Uttar Pradesh and demanded that all votes from the state be deemed invalid, sources said.
Tharoor's campaign team has also raised "serious issues" in the conduct of the election in Punjab and Telangana.
In his letter to Central Election Authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry, Tharoor's chief election agent Salman Soz has said the facts are "damning" and the election process in Uttar Pradesh is "devoid of credibility and integrity", they said.
