Kharge appeals to A.P. Congress leaders to vote for him in AICC president poll

He meets party leaders at Andhra Ratna Bhavan in Vijayawada

Senior Congress leader Mallikharjun Kharge, who is contesting for the All India Congress Committee (AICC) President, has urged the party leaders to vote for him in the ensuing AICC polls.

Mr. Kharge, who is the Congress floor leader in the Lok Sabha, met the party leaders at Andhra Ratna Bhavan here on Saturday. He said that the AICC elections were inevitable as Sonia Gandhi and her other family members refused to take over as the party reins, and appealed to the party leaders to give him an opportunity.

He shared his views with senior leaders and said that he would coordinate with all cadres and strive for strengthening the party. In the next elections, 50% of the tickets would be given to contestants aged below 50 years, he said.

Alleging that the BJP and the RSS were trying to divide the country based on caste and religions, Mr. Kharge said that former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi had sacrificed their lives for the country. “Did the BJP or RSS leaders make any sacrifices?” he questioned.

Earlier, APCC president Sake Sailajanath, party leaders K.V.P. Ramachandra Rao, J.D. Seelam, Gidugu Rudraraju, Koppula Raju, N. Tulasi Reddy, G.V. Harsha Kumar and others welcomed Mr. Kharge.

In all, 350 Congress delegates would participate in the AICC polls on October 17, and the polling centre would be arranged at Kurnool in the State.