Mallikarjun Kharge, first non-Gandhi to head the Grand Old Party in 24 years, defeated Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor in a direct contest for the party top post
Elaborate preparations were underway at the Congress headquarters where Senior party leader Mallikarjun Kharge is set to formally take over as Congress president today in a ceremony where Sonia Gandhi, party’s interim chief, will hand over the certificate of election and the baton.
Mallikarjun Kharge, first non-Gandhi to head the Grand Old Party in 24 years, defeated Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor in a direct contest for the party top post after the Gandhis opted out of the race and after Ashok Gehlot also pulled out of contention following a fiasco.
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Ahead of his taking over, Kharge called on former prime minister Manmohan Singh at his residence and spent some time with him.
Kharge paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat and also visited memorial of former prime minister Indira Gandhi.
Security personnel and workers made last-minute arrangements in the Congress president’s office and at 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 the function, which will also see the presence of outgoing chief Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.
Congress leader Ashok Gehlot, who almost had made it to the party president election but ultimately couldn’t pursue his interest, congratulated Kharge and said today is a “new beginning” for the party.
Gehlot said on Wednesday that efforts were made till the last minute to convince Rahul Gandhi to take up the top post as “only he can challenge Modi and the government”.
“Till the last minute, efforts were made to make Rahul Gandhi the party president as only he can challenge Modi and govt. Today is a new beginning. We congratulate Mallikarjun Kharge Ji and will work to strengthen the party,” Rajasthan CM and Congress leader Ashok Gehlot said.
Escaping Blaze at 7 to Cong Chief at 80, Kharge’s Firefighting Continues | Son Recounts Journey
Mallikarjun Kharge, 80, who was elected as the first non-Gandhi party chief on October 19 after Sitaram Kesari’s tenure (1996-1998), has seen many successful seasons as a politician, but his struggle in life began at a young age of seven. Kharge lost his mother and sister in a fire set off by the Razakars or the private militia of the Nizam of Hyderabad, while he himself had a narrow escape.
The tragic incident that took place in 1948 was undisclosed until recently. Speaking to News18, Priyank Kharge recounted how his father Mallikarjun, and grandfather Mapanna survived the fire.
The Razakars had gone on a rampage, plundered and attacked houses across the region, which was then called Hyderabad state. Bhalki, in the modern-day Bidar district of Karnataka, like several other villages up to Maharashtra, was under siege.
“My grandfather was working in the fields when a neighbour rushed to tell him that the Razakars had set their tin-roof home on fire. The Razakars were attacking every village in sight. They were a four lakh-strong army and were acting on their own as they did not have a leader. My grandfather rushed home, but could only save my father, who was within his arm’s reach. It was too late to save my grandmother and aunt who died in the tragedy,” said Priyank.
Challenges Ahead for Kharge
Kharge 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 in power in only two states now — 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 are on November 12. The dates for 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 takes over as Congress chief also at a time when the party is reeling under internal issues 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).
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.
(With PTI inputs)
