New Delhi, Oct 3 (IANS): Shashi Tharoor, a candidate for Congress presidential poll on Monday said that there were no ideological differences between him and Mallikarjun Kharge, who is also in the fray.

"Let me make clear that I agree with @kharge ji that all of us in @incIndia wish to take on the BJP rather than each other. There is no ideological difference between us. The choice for our voting colleagues Oct17 is only on how to do it most effectively," he said.

He was responding to Kharge's statement that debate should be with the BJP, RSS and not amongst the Congressmen.

Kharge is facing Shashi Tharoor, who has begun his campaign for the party polls. Tharoor said on Saturday that he failed to understand as to why the G-23 leaders, who earlier talked about polls in the party, were now backing off and talking about general consensus.

It's going to be Mallikarjun Kharge versus Shashi Tharoor in the Congress Presidential polls scheduled on October 17. Kharge has got the support of not only the senior leadership of the party, but the G-23 leaders as well.

Talking exclusively to IANS, Tharoor said that the polls for the post of Congress president are being held after five years. The last election was held in 2017, which Rahul Gandhi had won unanimously. The last contested election was held in 2000, when Sonia Gandhi defeated Jitendra Prasada by a huge margin.

The Gandhi family has decided that it will not endorse any candidate this time. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi both are of the view that polls will strengthen the party, which is very good, Tharoor said.