Mallikarjun Kharge, Cong stalwart who steered party to nearly double its tally

Though the octogenarian leader led a spirited campaign across the length and breadth of the country for the party, he could not get the grand old party to power despite the support of various opposition parties of the INDIA bloc.

Having failed earlier to become the chief minister in his home state of Karnataka, Kharge also lost his own battle in what was considered as his last chance of emerging as the first Dalit prime minister of the country, as the INDIA bloc failed to garner the required numbers despite making claims to the contrary.

The Congress chief travelled to 22 states and addressed around 100 poll rallies and over 70 media interactions across the country while leading the Congress campaign. He also helped keep the INDIA bloc together while deftly handling various alliance partners.

Known for his affable nature who worked with consensus and held different factions together, Kharge could not emerge out of the shadows of the Congress first family, who continued to call the shots and hog the limelight throughout his tenure. But he remained a Gandhi loyalist, a trait that helped him earn his position.

The Congress under him is in power only in three states of Karnataka, Telangana and Himachal Pradesh and a junior partner in Jharkhand, where it is in alliance with the JMM.

Born in a poor family at Varavatti in Bidar district on July 21, 1942, he went to school and college in Kalaburagi. A graduate in 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.

Hailed by Congress cadres as ‘Solillada Saradara’, a leader who has faced no defeat, Kharge 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.

Kharge never lost an electoral battle till 2019 when he got defeated in the Lok Sabha election for the first time ever.

He was chosen by Indira Gandhi and D Devaraj Urs to represent the Gurmitkal assembly constituency in Kalaburagi in 1972. He never looked back from there on, catapulting himself from one party position to the other while rising the ladder to replace none other than Sonia Gandhi.

A graduate in law from Gulbarga (Kalaburgi), the first one in his village to do so, he got a law degree from Karnataka University.

He remained a member of Karnataka Legislative Assembly for nine terms from 1972 to 2009. Thereafter, he took to national politics and became a minister at the Centre during the UPA government. When the Congress lost the 2014 elections, he became the leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha and then became the leader of the opposition in Rajya Sabha in 2019.

Born in a normal Dalit home, Kharge lost all his family members, except his father, when their tin-roofed house was set ablaze by Razakars in 1948. He struggled his way through the ranks to occupy the top Congress position.

Kharge started as a student leader in 1964-1965 as the general secretary of the college student union in his home district of Gulbarga, now Kalaburagi. He went on to become the president of the Gulbarga City Congress Committee in 1969.

A well-known kabbadi and hockey player in his youth, the 81-year-old leader remained invincible in electoral politics for decades and his proficiency in Hindi, English, Marathi and Urdu besides Kannada helped him along.

In 1976-78, he became a minister of state, (independent charge) primary and secondary education in Karnataka and in 1979 he became a cabinet minister, rural development and panchayati raj.

In 1996-99 and 2008-09 he was the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader and leader of opposition in the Karnataka Assembly. He became the president of Karnataka Congress in 2005-2008.

In 2009, he became a Union minister for labour and employment and also held the charge of railways and social justice and empowerment (additional charge) ministries.

He was the leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) in Lok Sabha from 2009 to 2014 and is currently holding the post of leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha since February 16, 2021.

Kharge was elected as Congress president in October 2022 and became the first non-Gandhi to head the 138-year-old party in 25 years and succeeded long-time chief Sonia Gandhi.

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

Kharge is also the second AICC president from Karnataka after S Nijalingappa and also the second Dalit leader after Jagjivan Ram to hold the post.

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