Congress Leadership Contender Tharoor Decries 'Uneven Playing Field' Ahead of Vote

The elections to choose the new head of India main's opposition party will be held on October 17, with senior parliamentarians Shashi Tharoor and Mallikarjun Kharge in the race. The results will be announced 48 hours later.

Senior parliamentarian Shashi Tharoor, who is in the fray for the top post of the Indian National Congress Party, accused party delegates of being biased on Thursday, decrying what he described as an "uneven playing field".

Tharoor claimed that Congress regional leaders have been "unavailable" whenever he visited any state, whereas his rival Mallikarjun Kharge received preferential treatment.

Kharge is reportedly backed by the party's first family, the Gandhis, including current chief Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi. He has been getting overwhelming support from Congress delegates who are eligible to vote in the elections.

Tharoor has reportedly been unable to even garner support from the party's members in his home state of Kerala, where only 12 of the 700 delegates from the state are purportedly due to back him.

"I have seen in many places, the PCC (Pradesh Congress Chief), CLP (Congress Legislature Party) leaders and big leaders welcome Mallikarjun Kharge, sit with him, invite people and tell them to be present. All this happened for one candidate but never for me," Tharoor told reporters in Delhi.

"I visited the state Congress committee, and the state chiefs were not available. I am not complaining, but do you not see a difference in treatment?" he added.

Despite the allegations of differential treatment, the MP from Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala state said that he didn't have any ill feelings towards Kharge.

"This election is about two Congress members focusing to strengthen the party," he concluded.