'About 9,500 PCC delegates cast their votes in Cong prez polls'

NEW DELHI: About 9,500 Pradesh Congress Committee delegates out of the total around 9,900 cast their votes in the Congress presidential polls, the party's central election authority chairman Madhusudan Mistrysaid on Monday.

The overall voter turnout was about 96 per cent and in small states, it was nearly 100 per cent, he said at a press conference after voting ended in the Mallikarjun Kharge versus Shashi Tharoor contest.

Mistry said by and large the voter turnout in all places was over 90 per cent.

"The most satisfactory thing for us was that in all states where polling booths were set up, no adverse incident was reported. This is a big achievement...polls were held in an open process in a peaceful manner," Mistry said.

"Congress party has shown what internal democracy is and other parties that want to take a lesson from it, can do so," he said.

Mistry said no one should have any apprehensions as it is a secret ballot and nobody will get to know who voted for whom.

Kharge is considered the favourite for his perceived proximity to the Gandhis and backing by senior leaders, even as Tharoor has pitched himself as the candidate of change.