Waiting for a long time for this day: Sonia Gandhi on Congress polls

NEW DELHI: As voting in the Congress presidential polls got underway, outgoing party chief Sonia Gandhi on Monday said she had been waiting for a long time for this day.

Sonia Gandhi and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra came together at the AICC headquarters and cast their vote.

When asked by reporters about the polls, Sonia Gandhi said, ''I have been waiting for a long time for this day.'' Later, former prime minister Manmohan Singh also cast his ballot in the polls at the party headquarters where the 68th polling booth for the AICC presidential poll has been set up Veteran Congress leader P Chidambaram was the first to cast his vote at the AICC headquarters here.

Several senior leaders such as general secretary Jairam Ramesh, Ambika Soni, Ajay Maken and Vivek Tankha, among others, cast their vote at the party headquarters.

Voting began on Monday in the Congress presidential polls as senior leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor face-off for the post of AICC chief.

Over 9,000 Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) delegates form the electoral college to pick the party chief in a secret ballot.

Voting began at 10 am at the AICC headquarters here and at party's polling booths in state offices across the country.

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.