CHENNAI: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who is running for the party's top job, said on Thursday that he wants to make Congress the party of young India and that support for his candidacy grows every day.

Tharoor, on a brief campaign in Chennai, said how his party viewed Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra and the presidential poll, mattered most and not what others outside felt. "It's what the Congress party looks at the Bharat Jodo Yatra and its presidency that matters and not the opposition criticism...

It is a challenging election for the delegates as there is only one physical location to hold the election, that's PCC headquarters. I am still confident that we will see a good turnout," he said. Addressing reporters after paying floral tributes to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Kamaraj here, Tharoor said he was getting enormous amount of feedback from ordinary party workers, especially the youngsters. He said it was very gratifying for him that the youth who are the future and also the majority in our country, back him in the polls.

Those aged 35 years and below account for 65 percent of our population. "It is their country, this is a young India," he said. "I want Congress to be the party of young India. I want to represent the aspirations, dreams and hopes of young India, just as Rajiv Gandhi attempted to do 40 years ago and succeeded in his initiation of telecom and IT revolution. We too have to now move forward to seize the opportunity available to young India.

I am glad to have the support of the young people," Tharoor said. He also said that seniors in the party too have pledged their support to him. Tharoor pointed out that he got a call from a 91-year-old delegate in his home state of Kerala today who said the nonagenarian was not young but saw the future in Tharoor. "There are people like him (veteran delegate) too. I am not turning away any support, we need men and women, young and old, senior leaders and ordinary workers, we need everyone to join us in this great adventure of making a rejuvenated Congress to lead young India," he said.

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