Congress Prez Poll: Senior Members Sideline Shashi Tharoor; Mallikarjun Kharge Emerges as Top Choice

The latest election for the top post in India's main opposition party was held in 2000, with Sonia Gandhi and Jitendra Prasada as main contenders. Gandhi won the contest with a considerable margin, and since then, members of the Gandhi family (either Sonia Gandhi or her son Rahul Gandhi) have been ruling the Congress party.

Just days ahead of the Indian National Congress (INC) election of the party's new chief, Congress Parliamentarian Manish Tewari has extended his support to Mallikarjun Kharge for the president's post.

"Mallikarjun Kharge has spent several years and has risen from the lowest posts in the party. Congress needs stability, which I feel Kharge can provide..." Tewari told reporters late Thursday night.

The party needs a "safe pair of hands" and a "composed personality," Tewari added.

In the past two weeks, several senior Congress politicians have come out to support 80-year-old Kharge.

The election is scheduled to take place on October 17, and the results will be announced two days later. Senior parliamentarian Kharge and Shashi Tharoor are contesting for the post.

On Thursday, Rajasthan State Chief Ashok Gehlot also backed Kharge.

Other senior politicians who came out to support Kharge include A.K. Antony, Ambika Soni, Mukul Wasnik, Abhishek Singhvi, Ajay Maken, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Digvijaya Singh, Tariq Anwar, Salman Khurshid, Akhilesh Prasad Singh, Deepender Singh Hooda, V Narayanasamy, V Vaithilingam, Pramod Tiwari, PL Punia, Avinash Pandey, Rajeev Shukla and many others.

Meanwhile, Tharoor has accused Congress party delegates of being biased. The 66-year-old senior parliamentarian said that Congress regional leaders have been "unavailable" whenever he visited any state, whereas his rival Kharge received preferential treatment.