News Analysis India

Tag: Mallikarjun Kharge

  • All CWC members, general secretaries, and in-charges tender their resignation to Kharge

    By IANS

    NEW DELHI: After Mallikarjun Kharge officially took charge as the Congress president on Wednesday, all the members of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), general secretaries and in-charges tendered their resignations.

    The new President will announce his new team while the CWC election will take place to elect 12 members.

    “All the CWC Members, AICC General Secretaries and Incharges have tendered their resignation to Hon’ble Congress President,” tweeted K.C. Venugopal.

    All the CWC Members, AICC General Secretaries and Incharges have tendered their resignation to Hon’ble Congress President.
    — K C Venugopal (@kcvenugopalmp) October 26, 2022
    Earlier, Kharge in his maiden speech said, “There is an attempt to replace Baba Saheb’s Constitution with the Sangh Constitution and the Congress will not let it happen.”

    He alleged that the “New India was without jobs, poverty is large and farmers are being crushed under wheels. The government’s effort is to make the country oppositionless, but the Congress will fight the government for the people.”

    He said as per the Udaipur declaration, the party posts will be filled and there will be a social advisory Committee with special emphasis on SC, ST and OBC.

    He said that he started his career as a block Congress committee worker in 1969 and now is the party President.

    He also thanked Sonia Gandhi for her efforts to strengthen the Congress as the party president.

    NEW DELHI: After Mallikarjun Kharge officially took charge as the Congress president on Wednesday, all the members of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), general secretaries and in-charges tendered their resignations.

    The new President will announce his new team while the CWC election will take place to elect 12 members.

    “All the CWC Members, AICC General Secretaries and Incharges have tendered their resignation to Hon’ble Congress President,” tweeted K.C. Venugopal.

    All the CWC Members, AICC General Secretaries and Incharges have tendered their resignation to Hon’ble Congress President.
    — K C Venugopal (@kcvenugopalmp) October 26, 2022
    Earlier, Kharge in his maiden speech said, “There is an attempt to replace Baba Saheb’s Constitution with the Sangh Constitution and the Congress will not let it happen.”

    He alleged that the “New India was without jobs, poverty is large and farmers are being crushed under wheels. The government’s effort is to make the country oppositionless, but the Congress will fight the government for the people.”

    He said as per the Udaipur declaration, the party posts will be filled and there will be a social advisory Committee with special emphasis on SC, ST and OBC.

    He said that he started his career as a block Congress committee worker in 1969 and now is the party President.

    He also thanked Sonia Gandhi for her efforts to strengthen the Congress as the party president.

  • Congress will be strengthened by Kharge’s leadership: Sonia Gandhi

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Congress faces many challenges but with unity and strength it will move forward to tackle them as it has done before, outgoing party chief Sonia Gandhi said on Wednesday.

    Speaking at an event where Mallikarjun Kharge formally took over as the Congress president after he was handed over the certificate of election to the top post, Gandhi said she is confident that the Congress will be inspired and strengthened by his leadership.

    She said it is her biggest satisfaction that the new Congress president is very experienced and has risen from being an ordinary worker to such heights through his hardwork.

    Gandhi said she did her duty as Congress president to the best of her ability and was feeling relieved as she would now be free from this responsibility.

    The Congress faces many challenges but with full strength and unity “we have to move forward and succeed” she said.

    Kharge is the first non-Gandhi to head the party in 24 years.

    He succeeds Sonia Gandhi, the longest serving party chief.

    NEW DELHI: The Congress faces many challenges but with unity and strength it will move forward to tackle them as it has done before, outgoing party chief Sonia Gandhi said on Wednesday.

    Speaking at an event where Mallikarjun Kharge formally took over as the Congress president after he was handed over the certificate of election to the top post, Gandhi said she is confident that the Congress will be inspired and strengthened by his leadership.

    She said it is her biggest satisfaction that the new Congress president is very experienced and has risen from being an ordinary worker to such heights through his hardwork.

    Gandhi said she did her duty as Congress president to the best of her ability and was feeling relieved as she would now be free from this responsibility.

    The Congress faces many challenges but with full strength and unity “we have to move forward and succeed” she said.

    Kharge is the first non-Gandhi to head the party in 24 years.

    He succeeds Sonia Gandhi, the longest serving party chief.

  • Mallikarjun Kharge to formally take over as Congress president

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Veteran leader Mallikarjun Kharge will formally take over as Congress president on Wednesday after he is handed over the certificate of election at a function here.

    Hectic preparations were underway at the Congress headquarters on Tuesday for the ceremony where outgoing president Sonia Gandhi will hand over the reins to Kharge, the first non-Gandhi to head the party in 24 years.

    Kharge defeated Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor in a direct contest for the top post in the grand old party after the Gandhis opted out of the race.

    Ahead of his taking over, Kharge called on former prime minister Manmohan Singh at his residence and spent some time with him.

    On Wednesday morning, Kharge will pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat and also visit memorials of former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, besides former deputy prime minister Jagjivan Ram.

    Meanwhile, security personnel and workers made last-minute arrangements in the Congress president’s office and on the AICC headquarters lawns where a tent was being put up.

    Chairman of the central election authority of the Congress Madhusudan Mistry will formally hand over the election certificate to Kharge at Wednesday’s function, which will also see the presence of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

    Kharge, 80, takes charge of the party at a time when it faces a tough challenge from a formidable BJP led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi which has ousted the Congress from many states.

    For Kharge, who has served as a leader of the opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, leader of Congress in Lok Sabha and leader of the opposition in Rajya Sabha, the current assignment comes at a time when the party is at a historic low, electorally.

    With the Congress now remaining in power in only two states — Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh — on its own and as a junior partner in Jharkhand, Kharge’s first challenge is to bring the party to power in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat, which go to polls in the next few weeks.

    Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh will be held on November 12.

    The dates for the Gujarat polls are yet to be announced.

    In 2023, Kharge will face the onerous task of leading the Congress in nine assembly elections, including in his home state of Karnataka where he was an MLA for nine terms.

    Kharge’s election also comes at a time the party is reeling under internal rumblings and high-profile exits after a series of electoral debacles and has been reduced to a shadow of its former formidable self.

    Beginning his career as chief of the Gulbarga city council, Kharge has also served as a state minister and a Lok Sabha MP from Gulbarga (2009 and 2014).

    The old warhorse is well-known for not losing an election barring the 2019 Lok Sabha poll from Gulbarga.

    It was after that loss that Sonia Gandhi brought Kharge to Rajya Sabha and in February 2021 made him the leader of the opposition.

    Kharge also faces the challenge of restoring the Congress’ primacy in the opposition space, implementing radical reforms the party pledged at the mid-May ‘Chintan Shivir’ in Udaipur and maintaining his independence in the face of insinuations that he is a candidate of the Gandhis and would seek their approval in all decisions.

    The last non-Gandhi Congress president was Sitaram Kesri, who was unceremoniously removed in 1998 just after two years into his five-year term.

    A leader with more than 50 years of experience in politics, Kharge is also the second All India Congress Committee (AICC) president from Karnataka after S Nijalingappa and also the second Dalit leader after Jagjivan Ram to hold the post.

    NEW DELHI: Veteran leader Mallikarjun Kharge will formally take over as Congress president on Wednesday after he is handed over the certificate of election at a function here.

    Hectic preparations were underway at the Congress headquarters on Tuesday for the ceremony where outgoing president Sonia Gandhi will hand over the reins to Kharge, the first non-Gandhi to head the party in 24 years.

    Kharge defeated Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor in a direct contest for the top post in the grand old party after the Gandhis opted out of the race.

    Ahead of his taking over, Kharge called on former prime minister Manmohan Singh at his residence and spent some time with him.

    On Wednesday morning, Kharge will pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat and also visit memorials of former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, besides former deputy prime minister Jagjivan Ram.

    Meanwhile, security personnel and workers made last-minute arrangements in the Congress president’s office and on the AICC headquarters lawns where a tent was being put up.

    Chairman of the central election authority of the Congress Madhusudan Mistry will formally hand over the election certificate to Kharge at Wednesday’s function, which will also see the presence of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

    Kharge, 80, takes charge of the party at a time when it faces a tough challenge from a formidable BJP led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi which has ousted the Congress from many states.

    For Kharge, who has served as a leader of the opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, leader of Congress in Lok Sabha and leader of the opposition in Rajya Sabha, the current assignment comes at a time when the party is at a historic low, electorally.

    With the Congress now remaining in power in only two states — Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh — on its own and as a junior partner in Jharkhand, Kharge’s first challenge is to bring the party to power in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat, which go to polls in the next few weeks.

    Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh will be held on November 12.

    The dates for the Gujarat polls are yet to be announced.

    In 2023, Kharge will face the onerous task of leading the Congress in nine assembly elections, including in his home state of Karnataka where he was an MLA for nine terms.

    Kharge’s election also comes at a time the party is reeling under internal rumblings and high-profile exits after a series of electoral debacles and has been reduced to a shadow of its former formidable self.

    Beginning his career as chief of the Gulbarga city council, Kharge has also served as a state minister and a Lok Sabha MP from Gulbarga (2009 and 2014).

    The old warhorse is well-known for not losing an election barring the 2019 Lok Sabha poll from Gulbarga.

    It was after that loss that Sonia Gandhi brought Kharge to Rajya Sabha and in February 2021 made him the leader of the opposition.

    Kharge also faces the challenge of restoring the Congress’ primacy in the opposition space, implementing radical reforms the party pledged at the mid-May ‘Chintan Shivir’ in Udaipur and maintaining his independence in the face of insinuations that he is a candidate of the Gandhis and would seek their approval in all decisions.

    The last non-Gandhi Congress president was Sitaram Kesri, who was unceremoniously removed in 1998 just after two years into his five-year term.

    A leader with more than 50 years of experience in politics, Kharge is also the second All India Congress Committee (AICC) president from Karnataka after S Nijalingappa and also the second Dalit leader after Jagjivan Ram to hold the post.

  • Kharge faces Congress Working Committee conundrum, leaders seek poll

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: As veteran Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge is set to assume charge as the new Congress president today, the most crucial question doing the rounds is whether he will hold elections for the Congress Working Committee. The elections to the CWC were last held in 1997 at the AICC’s Calcutta plenary session. 

    The CWC consists of 23 members, out of which 12 are elected and 11 are nominated. All India Congress Committee (AICC) members form the Electoral College to elect the 12 CWC members, in case of a contest.

    The elections to the CWC, the highest executive committee of the party, and other positions, were some of the demands raised by senior leaders of the G-23 group. It will be significant if Congress holds the CWC election as it promised.

    The CWC consists of top leadership of the party. Some senior leaders are apprehensive whether the party is keen on holding CWC elections as several PCC chiefs have already passed resolutions authorising the new Congress president to nominate PCC chiefs and AICC members. It was after Congress Central Election Authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry wrote to PCCs doing so last month. The states, which have passed resolutions to this effect, include Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Assam and Chattisgarh.

    One senior leader, requesting anonymity, told this newspaper that the ‘fairness of the CWC election will be in question if the president-elect AICC members to elect the 12 CWC members.’ “If the leadership gets the electoral college of their choosing, then the election is meaningless. If AICC members are nominated by the president, then the CWC will only be a formality,” he said.

    Earlier, the party has announced that along with the election of the president, elections to the CWC, PCC presidents, vice-presidents, treasurers, PCC executives and AICC members by the PCC general body will also be held.

    According to the Congress constitution, the CWC constitutes Congress president, its leader in the Parliament and 23 members, out of which 12 are being elected by AICC. In the past, elections to the CWC were held under PV Narasimha Rao and Sitaram Kesari in 1992 and 1997 respectively.

    In his manifesto, Shashi Tharoor, Kharge’s main challenger in the president election, had promised election for the CWC and revival of the Parliamentary Board of the party. Speaking to this newspaper, former Maharashtra Chief Minister and a member of the G-23 group, Prithviraj Chavan, said that he wants the new president to hold democratic elections for all important positions in the party.

    “Though Maharashtra also passed a resolution authorising the new AICC president to appoint PCC chiefs and AICC members, we will request the new president to hold elections for the PCC presidents. It’s up to the party if it wants the democratic process or not,” he said. 

    Senior Kerala Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said that AICC members will be selected during plenary session and the members will authorise the Congress president to form the CWC either through election or nomination. “AICC members will be selected during the plenary session. AICC members will pass a resolution to entrust Congress working president to form the CWC, either through elections or nominations. Both the possibilities are there,” he said.

    NEW DELHI: As veteran Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge is set to assume charge as the new Congress president today, the most crucial question doing the rounds is whether he will hold elections for the Congress Working Committee. The elections to the CWC were last held in 1997 at the AICC’s Calcutta plenary session. 

    The CWC consists of 23 members, out of which 12 are elected and 11 are nominated. All India Congress Committee (AICC) members form the Electoral College to elect the 12 CWC members, in case of a contest.

    The elections to the CWC, the highest executive committee of the party, and other positions, were some of the demands raised by senior leaders of the G-23 group. It will be significant if Congress holds the CWC election as it promised.

    The CWC consists of top leadership of the party. Some senior leaders are apprehensive whether the party is keen on holding CWC elections as several PCC chiefs have already passed resolutions authorising the new Congress president to nominate PCC chiefs and AICC members. It was after Congress Central Election Authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry wrote to PCCs doing so last month. The states, which have passed resolutions to this effect, include Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Assam and Chattisgarh.

    One senior leader, requesting anonymity, told this newspaper that the ‘fairness of the CWC election will be in question if the president-elect AICC members to elect the 12 CWC members.’ “If the leadership gets the electoral college of their choosing, then the election is meaningless. If AICC members are nominated by the president, then the CWC will only be a formality,” he said.

    Earlier, the party has announced that along with the election of the president, elections to the CWC, PCC presidents, vice-presidents, treasurers, PCC executives and AICC members by the PCC general body will also be held.

    According to the Congress constitution, the CWC constitutes Congress president, its leader in the Parliament and 23 members, out of which 12 are being elected by AICC. In the past, elections to the CWC were held under PV Narasimha Rao and Sitaram Kesari in 1992 and 1997 respectively.

    In his manifesto, Shashi Tharoor, Kharge’s main challenger in the president election, had promised election for the CWC and revival of the Parliamentary Board of the party. Speaking to this newspaper, former Maharashtra Chief Minister and a member of the G-23 group, Prithviraj Chavan, said that he wants the new president to hold democratic elections for all important positions in the party.

    “Though Maharashtra also passed a resolution authorising the new AICC president to appoint PCC chiefs and AICC members, we will request the new president to hold elections for the PCC presidents. It’s up to the party if it wants the democratic process or not,” he said. 

    Senior Kerala Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said that AICC members will be selected during plenary session and the members will authorise the Congress president to form the CWC either through election or nomination. “AICC members will be selected during the plenary session. AICC members will pass a resolution to entrust Congress working president to form the CWC, either through elections or nominations. Both the possibilities are there,” he said.

  • Mallikarjun Kharge to formally take over as Congress president on October 26

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Hectic preparations were underway at the Congress headquarters for Wednesday’s ceremony where party president Sonia Gandhi will hand over the baton to her successor, Mallikarjun Kharge, the first non-Gandhi to head the outfit in 24 years.

    Kharge defeated Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor in a direct contest for the top post in the grand old party after the Gandhis opted out of the race. Security personnel and workers made last-minute arrangements on the AICC headquarters lawns where a tent was being put up and in the Congress president’s office room.

    Chairman of the central election authority of the Congress Madhusudan Mistry will formally hand over the election certificate to Kharge at the function, which will also see the presence of outgoing chief Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

    Kharge, 80, takes charge of the party at a time when it faces a tough challenge from a formidable BJP led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi which has ousted the Congress from many states.

    For Kharge, who has served as a leader of the opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, leader of Congress in Lok Sabha and later leader of the opposition in Rajya Sabha, the current assignment comes at a time when the party is at a historic low, electorally.

    With the Congress now remaining in power in only two states – Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh – on its own and in partnership as a junior partner in Jharkhand, Kharge’s first challenge is to bring the party to power in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat, which go to polls in the next few weeks.

    Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh are on November 12 but the dates for Gujarat are yet to be announced.

    Later in 2023, Kharge will face the onerous task of leading the Congress in nine assembly elections that are due including in his home state of Karnataka where he was an MLA for nine terms.

    Kharge’s election also comes at a time the party is reeling under internal rumblings and high-profile exits after a series of electoral debacles and has been reduced to a shadow of its former formidable self.

    Beginning his career as chief of the Gulbarga city council, Kharge has also served as a state minister and a Lok Sabha MP from Gulbarga (2009 and 2014).

    The old warhorse is well known for not losing an election barring the 2019 Lok Sabha poll from Gulbarga.

    It was after that loss that Sonia Gandhi brought Kharge to the Rajya Sabha and in February 2021 made him the leader of the opposition.

    Kharge also faces the challenge of restoring the Congress’ primacy in the opposition space, implementing radical reforms the party pledged at the mid-May Chintan Shivir in Udaipur and maintaining his independence in the face of insinuations that he is a candidate of the Gandhi and would seek their approval in all decisions.

    The last non-Gandhi Congress president was Sitaram Kesri, who was unceremoniously removed in 1998 just after two years into his five-year term.

    A leader with more than 50 years of experience in politics, Kharge is also the second All India Congress Committee (AICC) president from Karnataka after S Nijalingappa and also the second Dalit leader after Jagjivan Ram to hold the post.

    NEW DELHI: Hectic preparations were underway at the Congress headquarters for Wednesday’s ceremony where party president Sonia Gandhi will hand over the baton to her successor, Mallikarjun Kharge, the first non-Gandhi to head the outfit in 24 years.

    Kharge defeated Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor in a direct contest for the top post in the grand old party after the Gandhis opted out of the race. Security personnel and workers made last-minute arrangements on the AICC headquarters lawns where a tent was being put up and in the Congress president’s office room.

    Chairman of the central election authority of the Congress Madhusudan Mistry will formally hand over the election certificate to Kharge at the function, which will also see the presence of outgoing chief Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

    Kharge, 80, takes charge of the party at a time when it faces a tough challenge from a formidable BJP led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi which has ousted the Congress from many states.

    For Kharge, who has served as a leader of the opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, leader of Congress in Lok Sabha and later leader of the opposition in Rajya Sabha, the current assignment comes at a time when the party is at a historic low, electorally.

    With the Congress now remaining in power in only two states – Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh – on its own and in partnership as a junior partner in Jharkhand, Kharge’s first challenge is to bring the party to power in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat, which go to polls in the next few weeks.

    Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh are on November 12 but the dates for Gujarat are yet to be announced.

    Later in 2023, Kharge will face the onerous task of leading the Congress in nine assembly elections that are due including in his home state of Karnataka where he was an MLA for nine terms.

    Kharge’s election also comes at a time the party is reeling under internal rumblings and high-profile exits after a series of electoral debacles and has been reduced to a shadow of its former formidable self.

    Beginning his career as chief of the Gulbarga city council, Kharge has also served as a state minister and a Lok Sabha MP from Gulbarga (2009 and 2014).

    The old warhorse is well known for not losing an election barring the 2019 Lok Sabha poll from Gulbarga.

    It was after that loss that Sonia Gandhi brought Kharge to the Rajya Sabha and in February 2021 made him the leader of the opposition.

    Kharge also faces the challenge of restoring the Congress’ primacy in the opposition space, implementing radical reforms the party pledged at the mid-May Chintan Shivir in Udaipur and maintaining his independence in the face of insinuations that he is a candidate of the Gandhi and would seek their approval in all decisions.

    The last non-Gandhi Congress president was Sitaram Kesri, who was unceremoniously removed in 1998 just after two years into his five-year term.

    A leader with more than 50 years of experience in politics, Kharge is also the second All India Congress Committee (AICC) president from Karnataka after S Nijalingappa and also the second Dalit leader after Jagjivan Ram to hold the post.

  • With Kharge at helm, Congress looks to consolidate its Dalit vote base in poll-bound Karnataka

    By PTI

    BENGALURU: The political impact of Mallikarjun Kharge’s election to the post of Congress President is being keenly watched in his poll-bound home state of Karnataka with the party hoping to reap dividends to consolidate its Dalit vote base.

    The veteran leader is also expected to use his good offices in unifying the faction-ridden party in the state, ahead of Assembly elections just six months away.

    Kharge is only the second leader, after Jagjivan Ram, to be the Congress President from the Dalit community, which constitutes about 24 per cent of the population across more than 100 caste groups in the state.

    According to some party insiders and political observers, Congress’ strong support base among Dalits has shrunk over the years, due to various factors including a section of it shifting towards BJP in recent years, attracted by the strong leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his push for a development agenda.

    Also, the grand old party’s inability to resolve the differences between left and right sects among the Dalits, concerning internal reservation, has also led to it losing the support of the Left, who have considerable presence in the state.

    Kharge belongs to the Dalit right, and his ability to win over the left, who have by and large moved towards the BJP, is crucial, and will determine whether things will turn in favour of the Congress or not, political analysts say.

    There is anger among a large section of the community, over the fact that Congress, which enjoyed their support for long, did not make a Dalit as the state’s Chief Minister.

    Kharge himself had lost out from the chance of becoming the Chief Minister, after having come very close to it, a couple of times.

    Political analyst A Narayana from Azim Premji University said, “Overall, it (Kharge’s elevation) is an advantage for the Congress (in Karnataka), but to what extent it will turn into an electoral or political capital, we do not know and have to see.”

    Noting that Dalits harbour “a little bit” of anger against the Congress which sort of affected its prospects last time (in 2018 polls), he said there is still a feeling in the community that they were not given their due.

    “Ultimately, that dissatisfaction will be addressed only when a Dalit becomes the CM, but it is a distant possibility, given the political realities of the state today. In the meantime, to address this discontent to an extent, it seems to be a good argument for the Congress to say that the top post of the party has been given to a Dalit, and we respect the Dalit sentiments,” he added.

    Further, pointing out that in Karnataka, Congress’ problem with Dalits is a more specific one, where the left sect of the community is angry with the party more than the right, Narayana said it remains to be seen if the elevation of Kharge, a Dalit on the right will help the party to placate the other side.

    “It depends on how much they (Congress) try to leverage, whether Kharge will make any impact in that direction, and how they address the discontent that the left wing has particularly regarding the implementation of the Sadashiva Commission report among other things,” he added.

    The Justice A J Sadashiva Inquiry Commission, which looked into methods of equitable distribution of reservation facilities among Scheduled Castes (SCs), had recommended internal reservation among the castes by broadly reclassifying all the 101 castes into four groups.

    Senior Congress leader and former Chairman of Legislative Council V R Sudarshan said Kharge becoming the Congress President is a matter of pride for Karnataka and it will certainly strengthen the party affairs in the state, both politically and socially.

    He said, “It is an opportunity to consolidate (Dalits) in favour of the party. However, Kharge personally has never played his Dalit identity card, even when there was a circumstance for him to become the CM. He has always been a committed Congressman and gone by his performance and loyalty.”

    With Kharge’s elevation, there are also talks in political circles as to whether it would create one more ‘power centre’ within the Karnataka Congress which is deeply divided, and amid growing political one-upmanship between state President DK Shivakumar and Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah, who are nursing chief ministerial ambitions.

    Amid this situation, there are talks whether the new AICC chief will be able to rein in all the factions and unite the party for the elections.

    There are also discussions in the party, whether it will be ‘disadvantage’ for Siddaramaiah (who had joined the Congress from JDS) with Kharge at the helm as his preference may be towards old-time party loyalists on matters relating to ticket distribution and leaders among others.

    However, Narayana responding to this said, “Yes, there will be another power centre in Karnataka, but will it affect the possibility of Siddaramaiah becoming or not becoming CM, I don’t think so, because Kharge is appointed keeping in mind the 2024 (Lok Sabha) election.”

    BENGALURU: The political impact of Mallikarjun Kharge’s election to the post of Congress President is being keenly watched in his poll-bound home state of Karnataka with the party hoping to reap dividends to consolidate its Dalit vote base.

    The veteran leader is also expected to use his good offices in unifying the faction-ridden party in the state, ahead of Assembly elections just six months away.

    Kharge is only the second leader, after Jagjivan Ram, to be the Congress President from the Dalit community, which constitutes about 24 per cent of the population across more than 100 caste groups in the state.

    According to some party insiders and political observers, Congress’ strong support base among Dalits has shrunk over the years, due to various factors including a section of it shifting towards BJP in recent years, attracted by the strong leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his push for a development agenda.

    Also, the grand old party’s inability to resolve the differences between left and right sects among the Dalits, concerning internal reservation, has also led to it losing the support of the Left, who have considerable presence in the state.

    Kharge belongs to the Dalit right, and his ability to win over the left, who have by and large moved towards the BJP, is crucial, and will determine whether things will turn in favour of the Congress or not, political analysts say.

    There is anger among a large section of the community, over the fact that Congress, which enjoyed their support for long, did not make a Dalit as the state’s Chief Minister.

    Kharge himself had lost out from the chance of becoming the Chief Minister, after having come very close to it, a couple of times.

    Political analyst A Narayana from Azim Premji University said, “Overall, it (Kharge’s elevation) is an advantage for the Congress (in Karnataka), but to what extent it will turn into an electoral or political capital, we do not know and have to see.”

    Noting that Dalits harbour “a little bit” of anger against the Congress which sort of affected its prospects last time (in 2018 polls), he said there is still a feeling in the community that they were not given their due.

    “Ultimately, that dissatisfaction will be addressed only when a Dalit becomes the CM, but it is a distant possibility, given the political realities of the state today. In the meantime, to address this discontent to an extent, it seems to be a good argument for the Congress to say that the top post of the party has been given to a Dalit, and we respect the Dalit sentiments,” he added.

    Further, pointing out that in Karnataka, Congress’ problem with Dalits is a more specific one, where the left sect of the community is angry with the party more than the right, Narayana said it remains to be seen if the elevation of Kharge, a Dalit on the right will help the party to placate the other side.

    “It depends on how much they (Congress) try to leverage, whether Kharge will make any impact in that direction, and how they address the discontent that the left wing has particularly regarding the implementation of the Sadashiva Commission report among other things,” he added.

    The Justice A J Sadashiva Inquiry Commission, which looked into methods of equitable distribution of reservation facilities among Scheduled Castes (SCs), had recommended internal reservation among the castes by broadly reclassifying all the 101 castes into four groups.

    Senior Congress leader and former Chairman of Legislative Council V R Sudarshan said Kharge becoming the Congress President is a matter of pride for Karnataka and it will certainly strengthen the party affairs in the state, both politically and socially.

    He said, “It is an opportunity to consolidate (Dalits) in favour of the party. However, Kharge personally has never played his Dalit identity card, even when there was a circumstance for him to become the CM. He has always been a committed Congressman and gone by his performance and loyalty.”

    With Kharge’s elevation, there are also talks in political circles as to whether it would create one more ‘power centre’ within the Karnataka Congress which is deeply divided, and amid growing political one-upmanship between state President DK Shivakumar and Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah, who are nursing chief ministerial ambitions.

    Amid this situation, there are talks whether the new AICC chief will be able to rein in all the factions and unite the party for the elections.

    There are also discussions in the party, whether it will be ‘disadvantage’ for Siddaramaiah (who had joined the Congress from JDS) with Kharge at the helm as his preference may be towards old-time party loyalists on matters relating to ticket distribution and leaders among others.

    However, Narayana responding to this said, “Yes, there will be another power centre in Karnataka, but will it affect the possibility of Siddaramaiah becoming or not becoming CM, I don’t think so, because Kharge is appointed keeping in mind the 2024 (Lok Sabha) election.”

  • Gehlot fires back at Rathore over comments on Kharge, says BJP leaders should read history

    By PTI

    JAIPUR: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday hit back at BJP MP Rajyavardhan Rathore over his comments on new Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and said leaders of the saffron party should read history before speaking.

    Rathore had on Wednesday called newly elected Congress president Kharge a “rubber stamp” and alleged that the party’s internal polls to elect a new chief were a “fraud”.

    In his response, Gehlot told reporters, “These people have no shame. New boys have come. They do not understand that they should read history and then learn to speak so that their image is not spoiled. They have no knowledge. What is a rubber stamp? Sonia Gandhi herself went to his (Mallikarjun Kharje) place yesterday (on Wednesday).”

    READ HERE | Tough road ahead for Mallikarjun Kharge as challenges galore for Congress

    Kharge won the polls for the post of Congress president, the results of which were announced on Wednesday. He was pitted against Shashi Tharoor.

    Gehlot, long known as a loyalist to the first family of the country’s oldest party, added that if there was any leader in India who commanded respect, it was Sonia Gandhi.

    “She refused to become PM, got the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government formed at the Centre twice and also got many state governments formed,” he said.

    The chief minister also lashed out at BJP leaders questioning what happened in the 70 years after Independence and said everything that has happened has taken place in the 70 years.

    “Not even a needle used to be manufactured when the country got Independence. These people are misleading the public and youths. They are destroying the young generation in the name of religion and caste,” he said.

    Gehlot added that the BJP should not indulge in ‘panchayati’ (politics) about the Congress and instead take care of its own house.

    The veteran Congress leader also attacked the BJP over some of its leaders allegedly acting as informers of the British, while adding that the history of the Congress’ sacrifice dated back to the pre-Independence era.

    Gehlot was referring to some leaders of the RSS, the BJP’s ideological mentor, who allegedly did not participate in the freedom movement and acted as informers of the British.

    The chief minister also targeted Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur over his comment on the old pension scheme and said he had once advised the BJP leader to examine the scheme and introduce it in his state in the interest of government employees.

    The Rajasthan chief minister said his government had taken many initiatives and launched several schemes that should be the Centre should study so that they could be implemented at the national level.

    He added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had been the chief minister of Gujarat and kept reminding people about the Gujarat model.

    Gehlot advised Modi to study the Rajasthan model and compare it with the Gujarat model.

    “The Centre should implement schemes and programmes launched by the Rajasthan government at the national level. If they have anything good to offer from the Gujarat model, they should tell us, we will implement those too,” he said.

    When asked about the BJP’s allegation that the Rajiv Gandhi Rural Olympic Games was organised to take political advantage, Gehlot said there was nothing wrong if the government took political advantage of its good works.

    “Are we saints? What is wrong if good works and good governance give us an advantage? We are aiming to repeat the government in the next elections,” he added.

    Earlier, speaking at the closing ceremony of the Rajiv Gandhi Rural Olympic Games at Sawai Mansingh Stadium here, Gehlot said criticism should be taken in good spirit as it made democracy stronger.

    The chief minister later visited Indira Rasoi at Jal Mahal and talked to the people eating there.

    Food is served at Rs 8 under the state government’s Indira Rasoi scheme.

    Gehlot said he had appealed to public representatives to have food at Indira Rasoi at least once a month so that the quality of food was maintained.

    He also spoke to reporters after visiting the Rasoi and said that the Centre should tell BJP-ruled states to restore peace and harmony.

    Gehlot said there was tension, religious and caste difference in the country.

    He added that this should stop and peace and harmony be restored.

    JAIPUR: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday hit back at BJP MP Rajyavardhan Rathore over his comments on new Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and said leaders of the saffron party should read history before speaking.

    Rathore had on Wednesday called newly elected Congress president Kharge a “rubber stamp” and alleged that the party’s internal polls to elect a new chief were a “fraud”.

    In his response, Gehlot told reporters, “These people have no shame. New boys have come. They do not understand that they should read history and then learn to speak so that their image is not spoiled. They have no knowledge. What is a rubber stamp? Sonia Gandhi herself went to his (Mallikarjun Kharje) place yesterday (on Wednesday).”

    READ HERE | Tough road ahead for Mallikarjun Kharge as challenges galore for Congress

    Kharge won the polls for the post of Congress president, the results of which were announced on Wednesday. He was pitted against Shashi Tharoor.

    Gehlot, long known as a loyalist to the first family of the country’s oldest party, added that if there was any leader in India who commanded respect, it was Sonia Gandhi.

    “She refused to become PM, got the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government formed at the Centre twice and also got many state governments formed,” he said.

    The chief minister also lashed out at BJP leaders questioning what happened in the 70 years after Independence and said everything that has happened has taken place in the 70 years.

    “Not even a needle used to be manufactured when the country got Independence. These people are misleading the public and youths. They are destroying the young generation in the name of religion and caste,” he said.

    Gehlot added that the BJP should not indulge in ‘panchayati’ (politics) about the Congress and instead take care of its own house.

    The veteran Congress leader also attacked the BJP over some of its leaders allegedly acting as informers of the British, while adding that the history of the Congress’ sacrifice dated back to the pre-Independence era.

    Gehlot was referring to some leaders of the RSS, the BJP’s ideological mentor, who allegedly did not participate in the freedom movement and acted as informers of the British.

    The chief minister also targeted Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur over his comment on the old pension scheme and said he had once advised the BJP leader to examine the scheme and introduce it in his state in the interest of government employees.

    The Rajasthan chief minister said his government had taken many initiatives and launched several schemes that should be the Centre should study so that they could be implemented at the national level.

    He added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had been the chief minister of Gujarat and kept reminding people about the Gujarat model.

    Gehlot advised Modi to study the Rajasthan model and compare it with the Gujarat model.

    “The Centre should implement schemes and programmes launched by the Rajasthan government at the national level. If they have anything good to offer from the Gujarat model, they should tell us, we will implement those too,” he said.

    When asked about the BJP’s allegation that the Rajiv Gandhi Rural Olympic Games was organised to take political advantage, Gehlot said there was nothing wrong if the government took political advantage of its good works.

    “Are we saints? What is wrong if good works and good governance give us an advantage? We are aiming to repeat the government in the next elections,” he added.

    Earlier, speaking at the closing ceremony of the Rajiv Gandhi Rural Olympic Games at Sawai Mansingh Stadium here, Gehlot said criticism should be taken in good spirit as it made democracy stronger.

    The chief minister later visited Indira Rasoi at Jal Mahal and talked to the people eating there.

    Food is served at Rs 8 under the state government’s Indira Rasoi scheme.

    Gehlot said he had appealed to public representatives to have food at Indira Rasoi at least once a month so that the quality of food was maintained.

    He also spoke to reporters after visiting the Rasoi and said that the Centre should tell BJP-ruled states to restore peace and harmony.

    Gehlot said there was tension, religious and caste difference in the country.

    He added that this should stop and peace and harmony be restored.

  • Tough road ahead for Mallikarjun Kharge as challenges galore for Congress

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Tough tests await newly elected Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, the party’s first non-Gandhi chief in more than 24 years, as he steers the ‘grand old party’ through the many challenges on the road to the 2024 general elections.

    The situation in which he takes over is a tough one for the Congress with the party’s chances in the upcoming Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh elections not looking very bright, infighting simmering in states such as Rajasthan and Karnataka, and hurdles in abundance for Opposition unity in the run-up to 2024.

    Kharge has many things favouring him as he assumes the party’s top spot after a high-octane election, defeating a worthy opponent in Shashi Tharoor.

    He is known to be a unifier who takes everyone along.

    A Dalit from Karnataka, 80-year-old Kharge trounced his 66-year-old rival Tharoor in a historic election, the sixth in the party’s 137-year-old history.

    He will formally take over on October 26.

    His elevation to the party’s top post comes when the Congress is in power in just two states on its own – Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh – and faces a very aggressive incumbent BJP in election-bound Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat a few weeks from now.

    This will be Kharge’s first challenge.

    Later in 2023, the Congress president will face the onerous task of leading the party in nine assembly elections, including in his home state Karnataka.

    Kharge’s election also comes at a time when the party is reeling under internal rumblings and high-profile exits after a series of electoral debacles that have reduced it to a shadow of its former formidable self.

    He will have to fend off BJP’s allegations of being a front for the Gandhis and remote-controlled by them.

    Kharge also faces the challenge of a generational divide in the party and has to maintain a balance between experience and the youth going forward.

    Political commentator Rasheed Kidwai said there are several challenges before Kharge as he has to coordinate with Team Rahul Gandhi, which occupies key posts and positions in the All India Congress Committee (AICC), the Congress Working Committee (CWC) and in most states.

    The next challenge is constituting the CWC, in which most of the G-23 protagonists who supported him hope to get accommodated, Kidwai told PTI.

    READ HERE | Congress making Dalits ‘scapegoats’: Mayawati on Kharge as party president

    Kharge also faces the immediate challenge of the Rajasthan political crisis as he needs to “tame a defiant Ashok Gehlot and get a role for Sachin Pilot”, said Kidwai, the author of several books, including ’24 Akbar Road: A Short History Of The People Behind The Fall And Rise Of The Congress’.

    He also has to firm up a broad alliance for the 2024 general elections with TMC’s Mamata Banerjee, DMK’s MK Stalin, JD(U)’s Nitish Kumar, and TRS’ K Chandrashekar Rao among others, Kidwai said.

    Echoing similar views, political commentator Sanjay Kumar said there are a lot of challenges for the party, and unfortunately, Kharge’s ability to lead would be tested on the parameter of electoral success of the Congress.

    “Unfortunately, the Congress does not seem to be in a very good position when it comes to facing the BJP in states like Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, and next year’s assembly polls starting with Karnataka. The party does not seem to be in a favourable situation in these states,” Kumar told PTI.

    A lot of criticism may start coming his way early on with critics arguing that the leadership change has not done much for the party, said Kumar, co-director of Lokniti, a research programme at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies.

    He said it remains to be seen if the “puppet” tag that many critics have labelled on Kharge sticks or not depending on whether he takes decisions independently or “rushes to 10 Janpath (Sonia Gandhi’s residence) and Rahul Gandhi” for advice.

    Kumar also said infighting has been a challenge for Congress and recent developments in Rajasthan proved that, so if the Gandhi family has had a problem dealing with it, Kharge will have more problems.

    “I also visualise maybe a vertical split within the party between Gandhi family loyalists and those who start looking forward to Kharge as the party president taking independent decisions,” he said.

    ALSO READ | Kharge will have say in Karnataka elections ticket distribution: DKS

    Manindra Nath Thakur, an associate professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University’s Centre for Political Studies, said Kharge and the Congress face three main challenges – reconstituting support base in the Hindi heartland, a new socio-economic-political idea to which people can be attracted, and revamping the organisational structure.

    “Earlier presidents had legitimacy, Kharge will have to gain that legitimacy. He is not the natural choice of everyone in the party and therefore, he has to work hard for that,” Thakur told PTI.

    The road ahead is certainly tough for Kharge, but many in the party believe he is the right man for the job as he has a lot of experience, takes everyone along and understands the Congress’ organisational functioning inside out.

    Whether he can successfully steer the party across the obstacles that await it on the road to 2024, only time will tell.

    NEW DELHI: Tough tests await newly elected Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, the party’s first non-Gandhi chief in more than 24 years, as he steers the ‘grand old party’ through the many challenges on the road to the 2024 general elections.

    The situation in which he takes over is a tough one for the Congress with the party’s chances in the upcoming Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh elections not looking very bright, infighting simmering in states such as Rajasthan and Karnataka, and hurdles in abundance for Opposition unity in the run-up to 2024.

    Kharge has many things favouring him as he assumes the party’s top spot after a high-octane election, defeating a worthy opponent in Shashi Tharoor.

    He is known to be a unifier who takes everyone along.

    A Dalit from Karnataka, 80-year-old Kharge trounced his 66-year-old rival Tharoor in a historic election, the sixth in the party’s 137-year-old history.

    He will formally take over on October 26.

    His elevation to the party’s top post comes when the Congress is in power in just two states on its own – Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh – and faces a very aggressive incumbent BJP in election-bound Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat a few weeks from now.

    This will be Kharge’s first challenge.

    Later in 2023, the Congress president will face the onerous task of leading the party in nine assembly elections, including in his home state Karnataka.

    Kharge’s election also comes at a time when the party is reeling under internal rumblings and high-profile exits after a series of electoral debacles that have reduced it to a shadow of its former formidable self.

    He will have to fend off BJP’s allegations of being a front for the Gandhis and remote-controlled by them.

    Kharge also faces the challenge of a generational divide in the party and has to maintain a balance between experience and the youth going forward.

    Political commentator Rasheed Kidwai said there are several challenges before Kharge as he has to coordinate with Team Rahul Gandhi, which occupies key posts and positions in the All India Congress Committee (AICC), the Congress Working Committee (CWC) and in most states.

    The next challenge is constituting the CWC, in which most of the G-23 protagonists who supported him hope to get accommodated, Kidwai told PTI.

    READ HERE | Congress making Dalits ‘scapegoats’: Mayawati on Kharge as party president

    Kharge also faces the immediate challenge of the Rajasthan political crisis as he needs to “tame a defiant Ashok Gehlot and get a role for Sachin Pilot”, said Kidwai, the author of several books, including ’24 Akbar Road: A Short History Of The People Behind The Fall And Rise Of The Congress’.

    He also has to firm up a broad alliance for the 2024 general elections with TMC’s Mamata Banerjee, DMK’s MK Stalin, JD(U)’s Nitish Kumar, and TRS’ K Chandrashekar Rao among others, Kidwai said.

    Echoing similar views, political commentator Sanjay Kumar said there are a lot of challenges for the party, and unfortunately, Kharge’s ability to lead would be tested on the parameter of electoral success of the Congress.

    “Unfortunately, the Congress does not seem to be in a very good position when it comes to facing the BJP in states like Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, and next year’s assembly polls starting with Karnataka. The party does not seem to be in a favourable situation in these states,” Kumar told PTI.

    A lot of criticism may start coming his way early on with critics arguing that the leadership change has not done much for the party, said Kumar, co-director of Lokniti, a research programme at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies.

    He said it remains to be seen if the “puppet” tag that many critics have labelled on Kharge sticks or not depending on whether he takes decisions independently or “rushes to 10 Janpath (Sonia Gandhi’s residence) and Rahul Gandhi” for advice.

    Kumar also said infighting has been a challenge for Congress and recent developments in Rajasthan proved that, so if the Gandhi family has had a problem dealing with it, Kharge will have more problems.

    “I also visualise maybe a vertical split within the party between Gandhi family loyalists and those who start looking forward to Kharge as the party president taking independent decisions,” he said.

    ALSO READ | Kharge will have say in Karnataka elections ticket distribution: DKS

    Manindra Nath Thakur, an associate professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University’s Centre for Political Studies, said Kharge and the Congress face three main challenges – reconstituting support base in the Hindi heartland, a new socio-economic-political idea to which people can be attracted, and revamping the organisational structure.

    “Earlier presidents had legitimacy, Kharge will have to gain that legitimacy. He is not the natural choice of everyone in the party and therefore, he has to work hard for that,” Thakur told PTI.

    The road ahead is certainly tough for Kharge, but many in the party believe he is the right man for the job as he has a lot of experience, takes everyone along and understands the Congress’ organisational functioning inside out.

    Whether he can successfully steer the party across the obstacles that await it on the road to 2024, only time will tell.

  • “Solillada Saradara” Kharge’s journey from a union leader to the supreme Congress post

    By PTI

    BENGALURU: Mallikarjun Kharge, hailed by Congress cadres as “Solillada Saradara”, a leader who has faced no defeat, rose from humble beginnings as a union leader to become the president of the nation’s grand old party. 

    In his political career spanning over five decades, he deftly steered the ministries he held and remained a steadfast Gandhi family loyalist notwithstanding the ebb and flow of politics and power.

    Be it the Cauvery river water dispute or the kidnapping of iconic Kannada top star, the late Rajkumar, he has handled such crisis situations as Home Minister of Karnataka, over two decades ago.

    Kharge’s public life began as a union leader in his home district of Gulbarga, now Kalaburagi, and he joined the Congress party in 1969 and became the President of the Gulbarga City Congress Committee.

    ALSO READ | Mallikarjun Kharge elected as Congress’ first non-Gandhi president in over two decades

    A well-known Kabbadi and hockey player in his youth, the 80-year-old leader remained invincible in electoral politics for decades and his proficiency in Hindi, English, Marathi, Urdu besides Kannada is expected to stand him in good stead in his new role.

    In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, he bucked the Narendra Modi wave that swept Karnataka, particularly the Hyderabad-Karnataka region, and won from Gulbarga with a margin of over 74,000 votes.

    A nine-time MLA, Gurmitkal assembly constituency was his home turf before he set his sights in 2009 on national politics. He has been a two-time MP from Gulbarga parliamentary segment.

    However, in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the veteran leader was defeated by BJP’s Umesh Jadhav in Gulbarga by a margin of 95,452 votes.

    For Kharge, popularly known as “Solillada Saradara”, (a leader without defeat), it was the first electoral loss in his political career.

    However, he took it in his stride and continued to move on.

    A staunch Congressman, Kharge had held divergent portfolios in government that enriched his experience as an administrator.

    He has served as Union Cabinet Minister for Labour and Employment, Railways, Social Justice and Empowerment in the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government.

    He had also held various portfolios in successive Congress governments that governed Karnataka.

    He has also served as the leader of the opposition in the Karnataka Assembly and President of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee.

    Kharge was the leader of the Congress party in Lok Sabha from 2014 to 2019.

    Kharge was elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka in June 2020 and was the 17th Leader of the Opposition in the Upper House until recently.

    ALSO READ | No one is big or small, all have to work together as karyakartas to strengthen Congress: Kharge

    He was several times seen as a top contender to become the Chief Minister in Karnataka, but could never occupy the post.

    Sober by temperament and nature, Kharge has never landed in any major political trouble or controversy Born in a poor family at Varavatti in Bidar district on July 21, 1942, he went school and college in Kalaburagi.

    A graduate of law as well, he practised law before plunging into politics.

    He is a follower of Buddhism and is the founder-chairman of Siddharth Vihar Trust that has built the Buddha Vihar complex in Kalaburagi.

    Married Radhabai on May 13, 1968, and they have two daughters and three sons.

    One son, Priyank Kharge is an MLA and a former minister in Karnataka.

    A vocal critic of the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre, Kharge’s elevation has given rise to fresh hopes that it would unify the party leadership in the state as Assembly election is due next year.

    He is the second All India Congress Committee President from Karnataka after S Nijalingappa and also the second Dalit leader after Jagjivan Ram to hold the top post.

    BENGALURU: Mallikarjun Kharge, hailed by Congress cadres as “Solillada Saradara”, a leader who has faced no defeat, rose from humble beginnings as a union leader to become the president of the nation’s grand old party. 

    In his political career spanning over five decades, he deftly steered the ministries he held and remained a steadfast Gandhi family loyalist notwithstanding the ebb and flow of politics and power.

    Be it the Cauvery river water dispute or the kidnapping of iconic Kannada top star, the late Rajkumar, he has handled such crisis situations as Home Minister of Karnataka, over two decades ago.

    Kharge’s public life began as a union leader in his home district of Gulbarga, now Kalaburagi, and he joined the Congress party in 1969 and became the President of the Gulbarga City Congress Committee.

    ALSO READ | Mallikarjun Kharge elected as Congress’ first non-Gandhi president in over two decades

    A well-known Kabbadi and hockey player in his youth, the 80-year-old leader remained invincible in electoral politics for decades and his proficiency in Hindi, English, Marathi, Urdu besides Kannada is expected to stand him in good stead in his new role.

    In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, he bucked the Narendra Modi wave that swept Karnataka, particularly the Hyderabad-Karnataka region, and won from Gulbarga with a margin of over 74,000 votes.

    A nine-time MLA, Gurmitkal assembly constituency was his home turf before he set his sights in 2009 on national politics. He has been a two-time MP from Gulbarga parliamentary segment.

    However, in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the veteran leader was defeated by BJP’s Umesh Jadhav in Gulbarga by a margin of 95,452 votes.

    For Kharge, popularly known as “Solillada Saradara”, (a leader without defeat), it was the first electoral loss in his political career.

    However, he took it in his stride and continued to move on.

    A staunch Congressman, Kharge had held divergent portfolios in government that enriched his experience as an administrator.

    He has served as Union Cabinet Minister for Labour and Employment, Railways, Social Justice and Empowerment in the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government.

    He had also held various portfolios in successive Congress governments that governed Karnataka.

    He has also served as the leader of the opposition in the Karnataka Assembly and President of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee.

    Kharge was the leader of the Congress party in Lok Sabha from 2014 to 2019.

    Kharge was elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka in June 2020 and was the 17th Leader of the Opposition in the Upper House until recently.

    ALSO READ | No one is big or small, all have to work together as karyakartas to strengthen Congress: Kharge

    He was several times seen as a top contender to become the Chief Minister in Karnataka, but could never occupy the post.

    Sober by temperament and nature, Kharge has never landed in any major political trouble or controversy Born in a poor family at Varavatti in Bidar district on July 21, 1942, he went school and college in Kalaburagi.

    A graduate of law as well, he practised law before plunging into politics.

    He is a follower of Buddhism and is the founder-chairman of Siddharth Vihar Trust that has built the Buddha Vihar complex in Kalaburagi.

    Married Radhabai on May 13, 1968, and they have two daughters and three sons.

    One son, Priyank Kharge is an MLA and a former minister in Karnataka.

    A vocal critic of the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre, Kharge’s elevation has given rise to fresh hopes that it would unify the party leadership in the state as Assembly election is due next year.

    He is the second All India Congress Committee President from Karnataka after S Nijalingappa and also the second Dalit leader after Jagjivan Ram to hold the top post.

  • No one is big or small, all have to work together as karyakartas to strengthen Congress: Kharge

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Congress president-elect Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday said no one in the party is big or small and he will work as a true Congress soldier to strengthen the organisation.

    He will formally take over as the Congress president on October 26 from Sonia Gandhi who has been at the helm since Rahul Gandhi resigned after the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

    Addressing a press conference after he was declared elected as the party’s president, Kharge said for him every Congress worker is equal and all have to work together to fight the fascist forces threatening democracy and the Constitution.

    Kharge defeated Shashi Tharoor in the electoral contest by polling 7,897 of 9,385 votes.

    Tharoor got 1,072 votes, while 416 votes were declared invalid.

    He said by holding organisational elections, the Congress has shown the country how internal democracy is strong in the organisation.

    “No one is small or big and we have to all work like karyakartas (workers) to strengthen the organisation,” Kharge said.

    “We have to together fight the threat to democracy and the Constitution. We have to fight the fascist forces who are attacking democracy and the people of the country,” Kharge said, assailing the forces “wearing the garb of communalism”.

    All Congress workers feel that the country cannot be sacrificed for a “tanashah” and “we have to together fight “these ‘vinaashkari’ (destructive) forces”, he said.

    Kharge said that former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi had called him an hour ago and congratulated him and said that together “we all have to work towards strengthening the Congress organisation”.

    The 80-year-old Dalit leader from Karnataka also appealed to all Congress workers and people of the country to join Rahul Gandhi in his Bharat Jodo Yatra which is a ‘jan andolan’ from Kanyakumari to Kashmir against price rise, unemployment and against those who are creating hatred and division in society.

    Kharge also lauded Sonia Gandhi’s leadership, saying “her tenure will be remembered for a long time”.

    “I thank Sonia Gandhi ji who made personal sacrifice as she steered the party for 23 years,” he said.

    Sonia Gandhi along with Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra visited Kharge’s residence and congratulated him.

    He also thanked all those who participated in the organisational elections and made it happen, and also he gave best wishes to Tharoor.

    Tharoor had earlier met Kharge at his residence and congratulated him on his victory.

    NEW DELHI: Congress president-elect Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday said no one in the party is big or small and he will work as a true Congress soldier to strengthen the organisation.

    He will formally take over as the Congress president on October 26 from Sonia Gandhi who has been at the helm since Rahul Gandhi resigned after the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

    Addressing a press conference after he was declared elected as the party’s president, Kharge said for him every Congress worker is equal and all have to work together to fight the fascist forces threatening democracy and the Constitution.

    Kharge defeated Shashi Tharoor in the electoral contest by polling 7,897 of 9,385 votes.

    Tharoor got 1,072 votes, while 416 votes were declared invalid.

    He said by holding organisational elections, the Congress has shown the country how internal democracy is strong in the organisation.

    “No one is small or big and we have to all work like karyakartas (workers) to strengthen the organisation,” Kharge said.

    “We have to together fight the threat to democracy and the Constitution. We have to fight the fascist forces who are attacking democracy and the people of the country,” Kharge said, assailing the forces “wearing the garb of communalism”.

    All Congress workers feel that the country cannot be sacrificed for a “tanashah” and “we have to together fight “these ‘vinaashkari’ (destructive) forces”, he said.

    Kharge said that former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi had called him an hour ago and congratulated him and said that together “we all have to work towards strengthening the Congress organisation”.

    The 80-year-old Dalit leader from Karnataka also appealed to all Congress workers and people of the country to join Rahul Gandhi in his Bharat Jodo Yatra which is a ‘jan andolan’ from Kanyakumari to Kashmir against price rise, unemployment and against those who are creating hatred and division in society.

    Kharge also lauded Sonia Gandhi’s leadership, saying “her tenure will be remembered for a long time”.

    “I thank Sonia Gandhi ji who made personal sacrifice as she steered the party for 23 years,” he said.

    Sonia Gandhi along with Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra visited Kharge’s residence and congratulated him.

    He also thanked all those who participated in the organisational elections and made it happen, and also he gave best wishes to Tharoor.

    Tharoor had earlier met Kharge at his residence and congratulated him on his victory.