Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who is one of the contenders in the race for Congress president, has had to cancel his visit to Uttar Pradesh twice in two days amid speculations that he was told to stay away to avert a potential ‘faceoff’ with supporters of Mallikarjun Kharge, another Congress veteran who is in the fray for the party’s top post and was coming to visit the state.
Citing sources involved in campaigning in Uttar Pradesh, the Times of India report said that Tharoor was told by a “top Congress official” to avoid visiting Lucknow for campaigning on Monday as it would appear inappropriate in the wake of Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav’s death. Tharoor reportedly suggested visiting on Tuesday but was told that it could result in clashes with supporters of Kharge, who is set to visit the state capital.
Kharge was already scheduled for campaigning in Lucknow on Tuesday. However, despite setbacks, Tharoor is resolute on visiting Lucknow and is now scheduled to visit the UP state capital on October 16. But back-to-back cancellations have caused a stir in the party circles, with many speculating if UP Congress leaders were behind delaying Tharoor’s visit to the state.
Interestingly, delegates who formed the electoral college in the internal elections were to collect their QR-enabled identity cards for voting on Tuesday, and the occasion would have provided a good outreach opportunity for the candidates.
It is worth noting that Uttar Pradesh is the major voting centre in the party polls, with more than 1,200 delegates from the state. In addition to the recent setbacks, Tharoor, a self-styled candidate, is also constrained by the fact that Mallikarjun Kharge is widely seen among Congress cadres as the choice of the “establishment”, given he was asked to contest the polls after the part’s first choice, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, opted out of the race following a controversy.
Tharoor had already expressed concern that party leaders are asking delegates to vote for the “official candidate”, but their plan may get scuttled in a secret ballot. The Lok Sabha MP from Thiruvananathapuram has oozed confidence that his campaign is receiving support and may perform better than others’ expectations.