Revival of our party has truly begun today: Shashi Tharoor

As Mallikarjun Kharge won the Congress president poll his electoral rival Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday said the democratic contest has galvanised vibrancy at all levels and has prompted a healthy and constructive discussion on change which will serve the party in good stead in the futureTharoor also claimed that the Congress revival has begunIn a statement Tharoor said the NehruGandhi family has held and will always hold a special place in the hearts of Congress party membersIt is my hope and belief that the family will remain the foundational pillar of the Congress our moral conscience and ultimate guiding spirit In particular the spectacular success of the ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra is a testament to the familys enduring appeal to the masses said the MP from Kerala who got 1072 votes against Kharges 7897He said that in a true celebration of innerparty democracy over 9500 delegates of the Congress cast their vote in the elections for the post of party presidentAlso read IN PHOTOS Mallikarjun Kharge becomes new Congress chief gets over 7000 votesToday the final verdict has been in favour of Mallikarjun Kharge ji I would like to convey my warm congratulations to him for his victory The decision of the party delegates is final and I accept it humbly Tharoor saidIt is a privilege to be a member of a party that allows its workers to choose their president he saidOur new president is a party colleague and senior who brings ample leadership and experience to the table Under his guidance I am confident that we can all collectively take the party to new heights Tharoor said in his statementHailing the contribution of outgoing president Sonia Gandhi Tharoor said the party owes an irredeemable debt to her for her nearly 25 years of leadership of the party and for being our anchor during our most crucial momentsHer decision to authorise this election process which has given us new pathways to the future is undoubtedly a fitting testament to her sagacity and vision for our party I hope she continues to guide motivate and inspire the partys new leadership team in overcoming the challenges ahead he saidHe also thanked former president Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for doing their own bit to support free and neutral electionsTharoor also thanked delegates who have come together to participate in these electionsMy immense gratitude as well to the innumerable and often anonymous karyakartas who dedicatedly worked overtime to ensure that these elections were conducted in a constructive spirit for the betterment of our party he saidI have always expressed the view that these elections irrespective of the outcome must ultimately strengthen the party It gives me immense personal satisfaction that this has clearly been the case Our democratic contest has galvanised vibrancy at all levels and has prompted a healthy and constructive discussion on change which I believe will serve the party in good stead in the future Tharoor saidHe also congratulated partys central election authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry and his colleagues for their efforts to make the poll process possibleIt is our duty to lead the nation to the bright democratic future envisaged by the founders of our Republic The ideals of a pluralist prosperous and egalitarian India that inspired Mahatma Gandhi Nehruji and Dr Ambedkar must be fought for with renewed determination in the face of the onslaught on our most precious values by the ruling party and the forces it has unleashed he saidTharoor said he looks forward to working with Congress colleagues to face the challenges ahead asserting that the revival of our party has truly begun todayTharoor had pitched himself as the candidate of change and though he repeatedly raised the issue of uneven playing field in the polls he maintained that the Gandhi family assured him of neutralityThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever