Congress set for counting day tomorrow: Ballot boxes, leaders reach Delhi

Around 9,900 party delegates cast their votes to elect the next Congress president on Monday. There were two candidates - Mallikarjun Kharge and Dr Shashi Tharoor.

Ballot boxes have started to arrive at the AICC headquarters in Delhi, where they are being kept in a strong room. There were 36 polling stations across the country with 67 booths. Apart from these boxes, senior party leaders are headed for the national capital. Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi is in Andhra Pradesh with the Bharat Jodo Yatra, the Congress’s massive outreach programme with eyes on the 2024 election.

According to party sources, senior leaders, including Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, will be in Delhi for the counting tomorrow and the announcement of the result.The Congress’s canteen at the party headquarters has also been revamped. Massive posters of the party’s top leaders, including Mahatma Gandhi, former PMs Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri, have been put up.“The canteen should wear a Congressi look. We will be making more changes.

The canteen has undergone a change after 15 years,” Prabhakar, the canteen manager told India Today TV. The Chairman of Congress’s data analytics department, Pravin Chakravarthy, told India Today TV, “The Congress is buzzing with activities. Bharat Jodo Yatra is connecting with people and the Congress internal election is connecting with party workers.” Around 95% of the voting took place on October 17. There were around 9,900 delegates of the party who cast their votes to elect the next party president. There were two candidates - Mallikarjun Kharge and Dr Shashi Tharoor.For the first time, the delegates were issued a QR coded ID card - like a voter ID card issued by the Election Commission.

“A team of 943 returning officers chosen by the Congress’ Central Election Authority (CEA ) was working for more than a year. It began with the membership program. Around 9,900 delegates were given QR coded ID cards which were printed and brought to Delhi in a suitcase weighing 30kg,” Chakravarty said. ‘container’ polling booth was set up at the camp site in Ballari for around 50 delegates, including Rahul Gandhi, who are part of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, to cast their votes.