"Ask Kharge-ji": Did Rahul Gandhi declare Mallikarjun Kharge as Congress President before poll results?

Rahul Gandhi, who is leading 'Bharat Jodo Yatra,' said that the new Congress President, Kharge ji (referring to Mallikarjun Kharge) and Sonia ji (interim chief Sonia Gandhi) will decide what role he gets to play in the party. Rahul was speaking to reporters around 1.30 pm in Andhra Pradesh. His remarks came way before the results got out as the counting for Congress president was still ongoing that time and results were declared post 2 pm.

Rahul Gandhi during the press conference said, "The new president will decide what my role will be, ask Kharge ji and Sonia ji." His statement added that the final authority in the Congress party is the Congress president and he will decide exactly how the party moves forward.

Mallikarjun Kharge won the party’s presidential polls, and became the first non-Gandhi person to be elected as party president in over two decades. He defeated party presidential candidate Shashi Tharoor by over 6,000 votes. Tharoor congratulated the new party president although earlier in the day, Tharoor’s polling agent Salman Soz reportedly wrote to Congress central election authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry and asked, “that all votes from UP be deemed invalid.”  

Rahul Gandhi also took to Twitter and congratulated Mallikarjun Kharge on being elected as the new party President and said that Kharge's experience and ideological commitment will serve the party well as he takes on this historic responsibility.

 "Congratulations to Mallikarjun Kharge ji on being elected as the President of @INCIndia. The Congress President represents a democratic vision of India. His vast experience and ideological commitment will serve the party well as he takes on this historic responsibility," his tweet read.

Congress's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' will enter Telangana on October 31 and will tour the state until November 7. The yatra will enter Hyderabad on November 1 through Shamshabad.

Also read: New Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge & those before him

Also read: Congress president elections: Counting of votes to take place at 10 am; Mallikarjun Kharge, Shashi Tharoor in fray

Also read: Congress President Poll Results: Mallikarjun Kharge defeats Shashi Tharoor by over 6,000 votes