India’s Congress begins vote to elect new party president
By ASHOK SHARMA
Associated Press
NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s main opposition Congress party is looking beyond the dominant Nehru-Gandhi family for its next leader. The party governed India for more than 60 years after India gained independence, but crushing defeats recently prompted the decision to bring in a fresh face. Results are expected Wednesday. Top party leaders are backing 80-year-old Mallikarjun Kharge from Karnataka state. His main challenger is Shashi Tharoor, a former U.N. official. Sonia Gandhi, the interim party president, says she’s been waiting for this moment for a long time. Rahul Gandhi is on a four-month walking tour to rally support ahead of state legislature elections in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat. The results are likely to impact the next national elections, due in 2024.
