First non-Gandhi in 24 years, Mallikarjun Kharge takes charge as Congress president

Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge formally takes charge as Congress president on October 26 after the leader handed over the certificate of election at an event in New Delhi. 

Notably, in a ceremony, outgoing president Sonia Gandhi handed 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 taking charge, Kharge paid 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. 

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. 

Notably from here on, the national party president has a daunting task of reviving the party organisation and gearing up for the elections in ten states including Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and not to be forgotten the most important Lok Sabha election in 2024.

The new president will also have to change the narrative of the common idealogy of people which has taken over the minds of people thinking Congress chief to be controlled by the Gandhis by showcasing his independent decisions and the way forward for the party.

For Kharge the current assignment comes at a time when the party is at a historic low, electorally, the 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. 

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). 

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.