Different faces for media and Congress: Mistry lashes out at Shashi Tharoor on allegations of poll irregularities

New Delhi: Veteran Congress leader and Central Election Authority Chairman Madhusudhan Mistry on Thursday lashed out at former diplomat Shashi Tharoor’s chief election agent claiming that he had raised issues of irregularities in the polls despite assuring the poll panel that all was well and the elections for the post of the Congress chief had been free and fair.

“I am sorry to say that you had one face before me which communicated that you’re satisfied with all our answers and a different face in the media which made all these allegations against us,” Mistry said responding to Team Tharoor’s accusation that there had been serious irregularities

Despite building his election campaign around the much needed change that the Congress party needs, Tharoor as expected lost the poll to Mallikarjun Kharge, who entered the fray on the last day of filing nominations on September 30.

Tharoor’s campaign team, who on Wednesday conceded defeat to Kharge in the party presidential poll, had written to the party’s chief election authority, flagging “extremely serious irregularities” in the conduct of the election in Uttar Pradesh. Besides demanding that all votes from Uttar Pradesh be deemed invalid, Tharoor’s campaign team had also raised “serious issues” in the conduct of the election in Punjab and Telangana.

Taking serious exception to the allegations of irregularities raised by Tharoor’s chief election agent, Mistry wondered why the agent had appeared to be satisfied with the results initially and then made public his allegations of irregularities in a few states, later in the day.

“We accommodated your request and despite that you went to the media alleging that the Central Election Authority was conspiring against you,” Mistry said on Thursday responding to allegations.

The 80-year-old Kharge was believed to be the clear favourite for the post in a two-cornered contest against former Union minister Shashi Tharoor. The veteran leader won 84 per cent of the votes cast on Monday. He won 7,897 votes while Tharoor garnered just 1,072 votes.

The Congress presidential poll campaign witnessed many twists and turns since it was announced. Earlier Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot was one of the top contenders for the party chief’s post but had to withdraw his candidature after an internal crisis in the Rajasthan unit of the party caused a difference of opinion with the Congress high command. Rumour has it that it was then that Sonia Gandhi requested Kharge, a Gandhi family loyalist to contest the polls.

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