Congress presidential poll is about how to take on BJP effectively: Tharoor

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Monday said the choice for his voting colleagues for the party's October 17 presidential poll is only on how to take on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party most effectively. In a tweet, he said all of them wish to take on the BJP rather than each other, echoing his rival candidate for the post, Mallikarjun Kharge.

"Let me make clear that I agree with @kharge ji that all of us in @incIndia wish to take on the BJP rather than each other. There is no ideological difference between us. The choice for our voting colleagues Oct17 is only on how to do it most effectively," Tharoor tweeted.

The tweet came a day after Kharge said all Congress leaders are united to fight the BJP and its ideological fountainhead Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and that he told Tharoor that it would be better to have a consensus candidate. Kharge said Tharoor insisted on a contest for the "sake of democracy".

Kharge, who resigned as the leader of the opposition in Rajya Sabha to contest the election in line with the "one person, one post" principle, launched his Congress presidential poll campaign on Sunday.Leaders such as Bhupinder Hooda, Anand Sharma, Manish Tewari, and Prithviraj Chavan, who were among the 23 leaders who wrote to Congress president Sonia Gandhi in 2020 seeking organisational reforms in the party, backed Kharge's candidature by becoming his proposers for next month's poll.

Kharge insisted there is no G23 camp now. "All leaders [of G23] want to work together to stay united and fight against BJP-RSS. This is the reason they are supporting me," he said.

Kharge, 80, said he is contesting the election on the insistence of senior leaders as no member of the Gandhi family wanted to become the party chief.

He dismissed allegations that he is the Gandhis' candidate and called Tharoor his younger brother. "It is a family matter and we have to stay united today and tomorrow."

Kharge said he has not entered the fray to oppose anyone but to strengthen the party. "Will always work to take forward the party's principles and ideology," he said.

Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot earlier bowed out of the race after a rebellion by his supporters last week against the possible elevation of Sachin Pilot as his successor.