Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday said he is hopeful of getting the support of ordinary Congress workers and the youth in the election for the post of Congress president.

Tharoor, who is in Kerala as part of the poll campaign said the Congress workers and activists want a change in the party and they said they have hope in him.

“I have the support of youth, party workers say that they have hope in me’,” he told media persons here.

Tharoor also alleged that he has felt a “partiality” on the part of some top party leaders and while he respects all senior leaders, their vote has the equal value as that of any other Congress member or worker.

“I have seen a partiality on the part of some top leaders. I respect all senior leaders of the party, but the vote of an office bearer, senior leader or a Congress worker has the same weightage when it is being counted.”

These statements are seen as a retort to KPCC president K Sudhakaran’s public statement declaring his support for veteran leader Mallikarjun Kharge for the party chief’s post.

Tharoor also said, “I don’t know why Sudhakaran announced his support to the opposing candidate Mallikarjun Kharge. The High Command took a neutral stance in the election. Maybe Sudhakaran does not know it.”

However,  the Thiruvananthapuram MP asserted that he would meet Sudhakaran. Nevertheless he said he is not expecting support from big leaders of the party in the election, but is dependent on support from ordinary workers.

“I was not expecting any support from the big leaders of the party and I am not expecting that now either. In fact, I met party workers at Nagpur, Wardha and then Hyderabad. They are the ones asking me to contest and not back away from it.,” he said.

Raising a serious allegation against his party colleagues, Tharoor said some senior party leaders had persuaded Rahul Gandhi to seek withdrawal of his candidature for the party president’s post. However, Rahul did not entertain the idea as he was of the view that a contest would only benefit the Congress, Tharoor added.

“He (Rahul Gandhi) told me that some persons have asked him to request me to withdraw my candidature. However, he told me I should not withdraw and that should contest in the election,” Tharoor clarified.

(With Inputs From Agency)