New Delhi: Shashi Tharoor, a party member and candidate for the presidency of the Congress, said on Thursday that he has been treated differently by party leaders than his rival Mallikarjun Kharge. Notably, the campaign for the position of Congress President pits Shashi Tharoor and Mallikarjun Kharge against one another.

At a news conference held here, Tharoor said: "We are running for office. No animosity exists within our party. My senior leader is Kharge Sahab, and we have worked closely. Two colleagues are running for office to see how they can cooperate to make the party stronger."

On his "Congress presidential candidate Shashi Tharoor responded to the "uneven playing field" comment by saying, "...In several PCCs, leaders welcomed and met Kharge Sahab. The same did not occur in my case. I went to PCCs, but the PCC chiefs weren't there. However, do you not see a difference in treatment? I'm not complaining."

He advised his party members to support him only if they want to see change in Congress. "Do you want the party to change or are you happy with as things are now? If you think everything is OK, don't vote for me because I want to make changes to the party that will attract voters who left us in 2014 and 2019 back to the fold" Tharoor said.

In an effort to resurrect the grand old party's prominence in the nation, Tharoor said earlier this week that he might serve as a catalyst of change for the organisation.

Tharoor said, Kharge is not an official contender for party leader despite rumours to the contrary "Kharge is an official candidate, some people say, whereas I am not. However, I want to stress that the Gandhi family remains impartial and that no one is a declared candidate since we support the expansion of the Congress party. It is untrue if someone claims that delegates are compelled to support a specific candidate." While this was going on, veteran Congressman and party presidential candidate Mallikarjun Kharge said that Sonia Gandhi had not offered his name and denied any endorsement from the party's acting president.

Kharge said that Sonia Gandhi had never recommended him for the role of party president and dismissed the rumour. Kharge said that the 9,300 delegates chosen by the party's members to cast ballots for candidates will choose the winner based on a majority.

Notably, Digvijaya Singh dropped out of the campaign earlier and gave Kharge his support, calling Kharge a veteran and respected party leader against whom he "cannot dream of contesting."

After Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot declared he would not run in the elections as a result of the political unrest in his state, Singh became the second member of Congress to withdraw from the campaign.

The grand old party is poised to elect a non-Gandhi president after more than 25 years as a result of the Gandhis' decision not to run for president.

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