CHENNAI:  After the majority of party cadres in Tamil Nadu refused to attend a meeting held by rival candidate Shashi Tharoor, senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge has emerged as the front-runner for the party's presidential election.

Few of the 710 Tamil Nadu voters in the Congress electoral college showed up to the meeting that Tharoor called to ask for support for his candidacy on Thursday at the state Congress headquarters, Satyamoorthi Bhavan.

Although Kharge has not yet started his tour in Tamil Nadu, Tharoor's reception in the state made it plain which way the wind was blowing.

Kharge is the party's most renowned Dalit representative and has more than 60 years of experience in local politics. Although the Gandhi family has not publicly supported any contender in the Congress presidential election, Kharge had the family's support. The fact that virtually all of the party's senior officials were not present when Shashi Tharoor arrived at Satyamoorthi Bhavan indicates that Kharge is the chosen candidate.

Senior Congress party official said, "Due to the perception that Tharoor is unapproachable and out of their reach, regular party members will not support him. The impression we get from Thiruvananthapuram, his home constituency, is that he won't meet regular people and has always been viewed as an elite." He continued by saying that Congressmen preferred grassroots, down-to-earth individuals who understood the needs of the community to head the organisation.

The educated middle-class youths, who are not on the Congress party's electoral list and whose support cannot help Tharoor win votes, nevertheless came to Satyamoorthi Bhavan to show their support for the Thiruvananthapuram MP.

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