Returning officer arrives at Jaipur with ballot boxes for Congress presidential polls

Jaipur: The Rajasthan returning officer for the elections of the Congress national president reached here with ballot boxes, a day before over 400 delegates in the state are set to vote in the polls.

Senior party leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor are in the fray for the post.

As many as 414 delegates from Rajasthan will vote for the national president from 10 am to 4 pm at state Congress headquarters here.

State Congress spokesperson Swarnim Chaturvedi said Pradesh Returning Officer Rajendra Singh Kumpawat reached with ballot boxes here.

He said two polling booths have been set up. The delegates have been issued identity cards with barcoding.

Mumtaz Masih, Nasim Akhtar Insaf, Ramsingh Kaswa, and Lalit Toonwal will be polling agents for Kharge, he said. Chaturvedi said after the voting, the ballot boxes will be sealed and sent to Delhi.

Votes will be counted on October 19. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot was a proposer for Mallikarjun Kharge and he had recently appealed to the delegates to vote for him.

Both Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor have not come to Rajasthan personally to campaign for the elections.