Congress presidential race: Mallikarjun Kharge vows for big change

New Delhi, Sep 30: Mallikarjun Kharge, a close aide of Gandhi family who filed his nomination for the post of Congress president said he was fighting for a big change in the party.

"All leaders, workers, delegates and ministers who came in support of me today, encouraged me, I thank them. We will see what the results are, on 17th October; hopeful that I win," Kharge told reporters after filing his nomination.

"I have been connected to the ideology of Congress since my childhood, used to campaign for the same Gandhi, Nehru ideology when I was in classes 8th, 9th," he added.

Kharge's candidature was proposed by party leaders Digvijaya Singh, Ashok Gehlot, Pramod Tiwari, PL Punia, AK Antony, Pawan Kumar Bansal, Mukul Wasnik Anand Sharma and Manish Tewari.

Kharge a key leader in Karnataka politics has remained loyal to Gandhi family.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who is in the Congress presidential race described his electoral opponent Kharge as the 'Bhishma Pitamah' of the party.

"It is a privilege to serve the only party in India with an open democratic process to choose its leader," Tharoor said after filing his nomination papers.

"It is a friendly contest that is going to happen. We are not enemies or rivals. No disrespect to him but I will represent my ideas," Tharoor told reporters.

The Congress presidential election will be a three-way contest between Shashi Tharoor, Mallikarjun Kharge and K N Tripathi in the fray. Two other prominent leaders Digvijaya Singh and Ashok Gehlot have pulled out of the Presidential race.

Nearly 9,100 leaders are eligible to cast their votes in the October 17 election.

The Congress presidential election result will be out on October 19.