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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Tharoor 'disappointed' with loss | Tharoor 'disappointed' with loss |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| India's candidate for the post of UN secretary general, Shashi Tharoor, says he is "disappointed" after coming second again in informal polling. | |
| A career diplomat, Mr Tharoor pulled out of the race after South Korea's Ban Ki-Moon won the latest straw poll. | A career diplomat, Mr Tharoor pulled out of the race after South Korea's Ban Ki-Moon won the latest straw poll. |
| Mr Tharoor got 10 votes, one more than needed to stay in the race. But one of the three negative votes was from a permanent Security Council member. | Mr Tharoor got 10 votes, one more than needed to stay in the race. But one of the three negative votes was from a permanent Security Council member. |
| A formal vote to choose the secretary general is due on 9 November. | |
| Soon after the results were announced, Mr Tharoor, who is also the UN undersecretary general for public information, issued a statement: "It is a great honour and a huge responsibility to be secretary-general and I wish Mr Ban every success in that task." | |
| Concedes victory | Concedes victory |
| Mr Tharoor said he had "entered the race because of my devotion to the United Nations, and for the same reason I will strongly support him as the next secretary general. The UN, and the world, has a stake in his success." | |
| Although he has conceded victory, Mr Tharoor is "disappointed" by the result. | Although he has conceded victory, Mr Tharoor is "disappointed" by the result. |
| In an interview to the BBC Hindi service, he said, "I have spent 28 years working for the UN. All the other candidates have worked for their governments. I was the only candidate who has devoted my entire professional life to the UN and worked for the international community." | In an interview to the BBC Hindi service, he said, "I have spent 28 years working for the UN. All the other candidates have worked for their governments. I was the only candidate who has devoted my entire professional life to the UN and worked for the international community." |
| Many are calling for UN reforms | Many are calling for UN reforms |
| Although it was not yet clear which permanent member used the negative vote against him, Mr Tharoor said he did not believe the veto was against him or India. | Although it was not yet clear which permanent member used the negative vote against him, Mr Tharoor said he did not believe the veto was against him or India. |
| "This country wants Mr Ban to win and must have voted against all the other candidates too," he said. | "This country wants Mr Ban to win and must have voted against all the other candidates too," he said. |
| Options open | Options open |
| Mr Tharoor thanked the Indian government for supporting his candidacy. | Mr Tharoor thanked the Indian government for supporting his candidacy. |
| Asked if he would be joining the government in some form, he laughed and said: "No option is excluded for me. But I'm not a civil servant, nor a politician." | Asked if he would be joining the government in some form, he laughed and said: "No option is excluded for me. But I'm not a civil servant, nor a politician." |
| In reply to a question as to whether the Indian government would be nominating him to the Rajya Sabha - the Upper House of Parliament - Mr Tharoor said, "The government has done enough for me. I don't want to ask them for anything more." | In reply to a question as to whether the Indian government would be nominating him to the Rajya Sabha - the Upper House of Parliament - Mr Tharoor said, "The government has done enough for me. I don't want to ask them for anything more." |
| Mr Tharoor has worked in the world body for nearly three decades since completing his PhD at Tufts University in the US. | Mr Tharoor has worked in the world body for nearly three decades since completing his PhD at Tufts University in the US. |
| "I have worked in the UN for 28 years... So I think I would bring a lot of experience and commitment to the task," Mr Tharoor told the BBC in an earlier interview when asked why he wanted the job. | "I have worked in the UN for 28 years... So I think I would bring a lot of experience and commitment to the task," Mr Tharoor told the BBC in an earlier interview when asked why he wanted the job. |
| "I believe passionately in the UN and see it as a force that can make a real difference in the world." | "I believe passionately in the UN and see it as a force that can make a real difference in the world." |
| Some commentators say Mr Tharoor's experience with the UN may have gone against him. | Some commentators say Mr Tharoor's experience with the UN may have gone against him. |
| Some say a senior insider may not be the person to deliver the radical reforms that they believe the organisation needs. | Some say a senior insider may not be the person to deliver the radical reforms that they believe the organisation needs. |
| Mr Tharoor, an Indian national, has written several novels, including a political satire, The Great Indian Novel, that focuses on India's struggle for independence. | Mr Tharoor, an Indian national, has written several novels, including a political satire, The Great Indian Novel, that focuses on India's struggle for independence. |
| Overall there were six candidates in the race to replace the incumbent UN secretary general Kofi Annan who ends his second and final term in December. |