Veteran politician Mallikarjun Kharge won the election for Congress president, becoming the party’s first non-Gandhi leader in 24 years. The 80-year-old veteran leader from Karnataka is the second Dalit man to take the helm of the Congress party, which has existed for ten years. He has spent his entire life holding a variety of other portfolios under various administrations and ministers.
Mr. Mallikarjun Kharge was competing against Shashi Tharoor. He will replace Sonia Gandhi, who had been acting as interim president following Rahul Gandhi’s resignation due to the party’s disastrous performance in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
On October 1, 2022, Kharge, a former minister of railways, resigned from his position as Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha to compete for president in compliance with the party’s recently established rule that one leader will retain only one seat.
According to news sources, the newly elected president will assume office after Diwali in front of senior politicians during a programme held at the Congress offices. On October 26, the Karnataka leader will formally become the party’s president.
Mallikarjun Kharge receives 7897 votes to win the Congress presidential election.
Mallikarjun Kharge, the head of the Congress, won the party’s crucial presidential vote on Wednesday, making him the first non-Gandhi president of the Congress in more than 20 years. Shashi Tharoor came in second with 1,072 votes after Kharge, who garnered 7,897 of the total 9,385 votes. Kharge will succeed Sonia Gandhi, the interim Congress leader who has served in the role since Rahul Gandhi quit during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
As he congratulated Kharge on his victory, Tharoor declared that “the party resurrection begins today.” He wrote, “I wish Kharge ji every success in the endeavour. Being President of the INC is a great honour and a huge duty.
Speaking to the media for the first time since becoming the next Congress president,
During his maiden press conference as the incoming Congress president on Wednesday, Mallikarjun Kharge declared, “We need to fight against a plot to destroy democracy. No one in the party is big or small, according to Kharge, who pledged to fight like a real Congress soldier to make the group stronger. In his view, all members of Congress are on an equal footing and must unite to combat the fascist forces that pose a threat to democracy and the Constitution. To strengthen the Congress, he continued, everyone must work like karyakartas, regardless of size.
Mallikarjun Kharge also received a visit from Sonia Gandhi, the departing president of the Congress, who sent her congratulations.
Greetings from PM Modi to him.
PM Narendra Modi on Wednesday sent Mallikarjun Kharge his best wishes for his new role as the Congress president, hours after Kharge easily defeated Shashi Tharoor in the race for the party’s presidency.
“Strong leadership”
The losing candidate in the Congress presidential election, Shashi Tharoor, complimented the victor, Mallikarjun Kharge, and declared that he believed the party’s resurgence “had genuinely begun tonight.” He described the incoming party leader as a senior colleague who “brings ample leadership and expertise to the table” and expressed confidence that, under Mr. Kharge’s leadership, “we can all together push the party to new heights.” Sonia Gandhi, the outgoing president, was also recognized for her support of the party.
Immediately following the announcement of the results, Mr. Tharoor hailed his own team of party members “for their extraordinary efforts against unfathomable odds to keep our campaign running,” in addition to applauding Mr. Kharge.
Shashi Tharoor expressed his gratitude for the support of more than a thousand colleagues as well as for the opportunity to speak for the aspirations and objectives of the large number of Indians who support the Congress.
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