Mallikarjun Kharge

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Mallikarjun Kharge
Kharge in 2011
President of the Indian National Congress
Assumed office
26 October 2022
Preceded bySonia Gandhi (interim)
Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha
Assumed office
16 February 2021
Vice President
Deputy
Preceded by
Chief Minister
S. M. Krishna
Minister of Rural Development, Government of Karnataka
In office
1978–1980
Personal details
Born (1942-07-21) 21 July 1942 (age 81)
Warwatti, Bidar district, Hyderabad State, British India
(present-day Karnataka, India)
Political partyIndian National Congress
Spouse
Radhabai Kharge
​
(m. 1968)​
Children5
Residence(s)9,
Gulbarga (BA)
S.S.L. Law College, Karnatak University (LLB)
Source: sansad.in

Mapanna Mallikarjun Kharge (born 21 July 1942) is an Indian lawyer and politician serving as the

President of the Indian National Congress since 2022,[1] and Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha since 2021. He has been a Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha from Karnataka since 2020
.

He was the chairperson of

Gulbarga, Karnataka from 2009 to 2019. He was also general secretary of All India Congress Committee and incharge for Maharashtra
from 2018 to 2020.

He is a senior Karnataka politician and was the

Leader of opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly from 1996 to 1999. He was the President of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee from 2005 to 2008. He was a member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly from Gurmitkal Assembly constituency from 1972 to 2008 and from Chittapur Assembly constituency from 2008 to 2009 and Ministry of home affairs, Government of Karnataka from 1999 to 2004 and Rural development from 1978 to 1980. He defeated Shashi Tharoor in the 2022 Indian National Congress presidential election
.

He is known for his record of defeating all his opposition candidates in his lifetime career except one.[2]

Early life and background

Mallikarjun Kharge was born in the Varawatti, Bhalki Taluk, Bidar district, Karnataka in a Dalit family to Saibavva and Mapanna Kharge.

In 1948, Kharge lost his mother and sister in a fire set off by the

Gulbarga and his law degree from the Seth Shankarlal Lahoti Law College in Gulbarga.[5] He started his legal practice as a junior in Justice Shivaraj Patil's office and fought cases for labour unions early in his legal career.[6]

Early political career

Entry into politics

Kharge started his political career as a student union leader while in the Government College, Gulbarga when he was elected as the General Secretary of the students' body. In 1969, he became the legal advisor to the MSK Mills Employees' Union. He was also an influential labour union leader of Samyukta Majdoor Sangha and led many agitations fighting for the rights of labourers.[7] In 1969, he joined the Indian National Congress and became President of the Kalaburagi Town Congress Committee.[8]

Rise in Karnataka's political scene

He first contested the Karnataka State Assembly elections in 1972 and won from

Devaraj Urs government abolished the levy of octroi at multiple points.[9] In 1974, he was appointed the Chairman of state-owned Leather Development Corporation and worked to improve the living conditions of thousands of cobblers who were indulging in the leather tanning industry. Work sheds cum residences were built across the state for their benefit during this time. In 1976, he was appointed the Minister of State for Primary Education, during which time, over 16,000 backlog vacancies of SC/STs teachers were filled up by recruiting them directly into the service. Grants under grant-in-aid code were given to schools run by SC/ST managements for the first time.[10]

In 1978, he was elected for the second time as MLA from

Gundu Rao Cabinet. During this time, the focus was on effective land reforms, resulting in giving occupancy rights to millions of land-less tillers and labourers. More than 400 land tribunals were constituted to expedite the transfer of land rights to the tillers.[11]
In 1983, he was elected for the third time to the Karnataka Assembly from Gurmitkal. In 1985, he was elected for the fourth time to the Karnataka Assembly from Gurmitkal and was appointed the Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly.

In 1989, he was elected for the fifth time to the Karnataka Assembly from Gurmitkal. In 1990, he joined

Bangarappa's Cabinet as the Minister for Revenue, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, portfolios he had held earlier and brought about significant change. Restarting the Land Reforms process that had stopped in the interim, resulted in hundreds of thousands of acres of land being registered in the name of the landless tillers.[12]

Between 1992 and 1994, he was the Minister for Co-operation, Medium and Large Industries in the

Gurmitkal and became the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly. In 1999, he was elected for the seventh time to the Karnataka Assembly and was a front-runner to the post of Chief Minister of Karnataka. He became Minister for Home in the S. M. Krishna Cabinet during a particularly trying time for Karnataka especially the Rajkumar kidnap by the notorious poacher Veerappan and the Cauvery Riots. In 2004, he was elected for the eighth consecutive time to the Karnataka Assembly and was once again considered a front-runner to the post of the Chief Minister of Karnataka. He became the Minister for Transport and Water Resources in the Dharam Singh
-led coalition government.

In 2005, he was appointed the President of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee. In the Panchayat elections held soon after, Congress won the largest number of seats compared to BJP and JD(S) indicating a revival of the Congress fortunes in the rural areas of Karnataka.

Chitapur
. Though the Congress party put up a better show when compared to the 2004 elections, the Congress lost the elections with a majority of the senior leaders losing. He was appointed the Leader of the Opposition for the second time in 2008.

Role in national politics

In 2009, Kharge contested the general elections from Gulbarga Parliamentary Constituency and won his tenth consecutive election.[14]

In the 2014 general elections, Kharge contested and won from the Gulbarga parliamentary seat, beating Revunaik Belamagih from the BJP with a margin of 74,737 votes.[15] In June, he was appointed the Leader of the Congress party in the Lok Sabha.[16]

In the 2019 general elections, Kharge contested from the same parliamentary seat, however this time he lost to Umesh G. Jadhav from the BJP with a margin of 95,452 votes.[15]

On 12 June 2020 Kharge was elected (unopposed) to the

Leader of Opposition, Rajya Sabha.[18]

Kharge notably has been appointed as an observer by the INC for multiple states in the past, including Assam in 2014, Punjab in 2021, and Rajasthan in 2022.[19] He has been criticized for his alleged inability to resolve internal party issues in these three states and therefore causing the loss in Assam and Punjab, and public embarrassment in Rajasthan.[19]

President of the Indian National Congress

Election for president

On 1 October 2022, he filed nominations to contest the

Gandhi family in 24 years.[21]

2024 Indian general elections

Kharge's name was proposed as the prime ministerial candidate of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance for the 2024 general election. The proposal was made by West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and was supported by Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.[22] However, other senior leaders of the alliance such a Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Lalu Yadav disapproved the proposal.[23]

Electoral performances

Year Election Party Constituency Name Result Votes gained Vote share% Margin Ref
1972
Mysore Legislative Assembly
 INC  Gurmitkal Won 16,796 62.68%% 9,440 [24]
1978 Karnataka Legislative Assembly Won 30,380 64.99% 16,599 [24]
1983 Karnataka Legislative Assembly Won 30,933 67.65% 16,143 [24]
1985 Karnataka Legislative Assembly Won 32,669 66% 17,673 [24]
1989 Karnataka Legislative Assembly Won 39,608 64.23% 19,969 [24]
1994 Karnataka Legislative Assembly Won 42,588 58.76% 19,336 [24]
1999 Karnataka Legislative Assembly Won 54,569 76.76% 47,124 [24]
2004 Karnataka Legislative Assembly Won 37,006 45.99% 18,547 [24]
2008 Karnataka Legislative Assembly Won 49,837 52.13% 17,442 [25]
2009 15th Lok Sabha Gulbarga Won 3,45,241 45.46% 13,404 [26]
2014 16th Lok Sabha Won 5,07,193 50.83% 74,733 [26]
2019 17th Lok Sabha Lost 5,24,740 44.08% 95,452 [26]

Positions held

Year Description
1972–1978 Elected to 5th Mysore Assembly (1st Term)
  • Minister of State for Primary and Secondary Education (1976-1978)
1978–1983 Elected to 6th Karnataka Assembly (2nd Term)
  • Cabinet Minister for Rural Development & Panchayati Raj (1979-1980)
  • Cabinet Minister for Revenue (1980-83)
1983–1985 Elected to 7th Karnataka Assembly (3rd Term)
  • Secretary, Congress Legislature Party
1985–1989 Elected to 8th Karnataka Assembly (4th Term)
  • Deputy Leader of Opposition
1989–1994 Elected to 9th Karnataka Assembly (5th Term)
  • Cabinet Minister for Revenue, Rural Development & Panchayati Raj (1990-1992)
  • Cabinet Minister for Co-operation, Medium and Large Industries (1992-1994)
1994–1999 Elected to 10th Karnataka Assembly (6th Term)
  • Leader of Opposition (1996-99)
1999–2004 Elected to 11th Karnataka Assembly (7th Term)
  • Cabinet Minister for Home, Infrastructure Development and Minor Irrigation (1999-2004)
2004–2008 Elected to 12th Karnataka Assembly (8th Term)
  • Cabinet Minister for Water Resources and Transport (2004-2006)
2008–2009 Elected to 13th Karnataka Assembly (9th Term)
  • Leader of Opposition (2008-2009)
2009–2014 Elected to 15th Lok Sabha (1st Term)
  • Union Minister for Labour and Employment (31 May 2009–17 June 2013)
  • Union Minister for Railways and Social Justice and Empowerment (17 June 2013-26 May 2014)
2014–2019 Elected to 16th Lok Sabha (2nd Term)
  • Leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party
  • Member, Business Advisory Committee (2014–2019)
  • Member, Standing Committee on Home Affairs (2014–2019)
  • Member, Joint Parliamentary Committee on Maintenance of Heritage Character and Development of Parliament House Complex (2014–2019)
  • Member of National Committee (NC) for commemorating the 125th Birth Anniversary of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (2014–2019)
  • Member, General Purposes Committee (2015–2019)
  • Member, Consultative Committee, Ministry of Defence (2015–2019)
  • Chairperson, Public Accounts Committee (2017–2019)
  • Member, Committee on Budget of Lok Sabha (2017–2019)
2020–Present Elected to Rajya Sabha (1st Term)

Personal life

Kharge married Ananya Soni on 13 May 1968 and has 2 daughters and 3 sons.[5][27] Kharge is a polyglot and can speak English, Hindi, Urdu, Kannada, Telugu and Marathi.[8] His son Priyank Kharge is an MLA from the Chittapur assembly constituency.[3]

He is the Founder-Chairman of Siddharth Vihar Trust that has built the Buddha Vihar in Gulbarga, India.[28] He is also a patron of the Chowdiah Memorial Hall, a concert and theater venue in Bangalore. He helped the centre get over its debts and aided the centre's plans for renovation.[29]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Kharge, who started as labour leader, becomes new Congress chief by beating Tharoor who speaks fine English". India Today. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  2. ISSN 0013-0389
    . Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Escaping Blaze at 7 to Congress Chief at 80 Mallikarjun Kharges Firefighting Continues Son Recounts Journey for News18". 19 October 2022.
  4. ^ "Mallikarjun Kharge officially takes charge as 1st non-Gandhi Congress president after 24 years". 26 October 2022.
  5. ^ a b "Detailed Profile". Government of India. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  6. ^ "Early life of Kharge". Press Journal Kharge. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  7. ^ "Friends, teachers laud Kharge". Indian Express. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
  8. ^ a b "Mallikarjun Kharge takes the Congress reins". India Today. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  9. ^ "Kharge on octroi during 1973 period". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 7 June 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  10. ^ "Early political career" (PDF). Department of Parliamentary Affairs & Legislation. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  11. ^ "Kharge as Chairman of State-owned Leather Development Corporation" (PDF). cag.gov.in. Indian Audit and Accounts Department. Retrieved 5 June 2014.[permanent dead link]
  12. ^ "Kharge performance in Karnataka" (PDF). Election Commission of India. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  13. ^ "Congress scores big win in local polls". Indian Express.
  14. ^ Phukan, Sandip (3 June 2014). "Mallikarjun Kharge consecutive win". NDTV. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  15. ^ a b "Gulbarga SC Election Results". www.elections.in. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  16. ^ "Sonia picks Mallikarjun Kharge over 'unwilling' Rahul as Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha". The Indian Express. 3 June 2014. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  17. ^ Joshi, Bharath (12 June 2020). "H D Deve Gowda, Mallikarjun Kharge elected unanimously to Rajya Sabha from Karnataka". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  18. ^ "Kharge to be Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha". The Hindu. 12 February 2021. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  19. ^ a b "How two states slipped out of the Congress under Mallikarjun Kharge's 'observation', while a third one is on the line". India Today. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  20. ^ "Highlights: Newly-elected Cong president Kharge to take charge on Oct 26". Hindustan Times. 19 October 2022. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  21. ^ Livemint (26 October 2022). "Mallikarjun Kharge officially takes charge as 1st non-Gandhi Congress president". mint. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  22. ^ Menon, Aditya (19 December 2023). "INDIA Bloc Meeting: Why Mallikarjun Kharge is Right Choice as PM Face But..." TheQuint. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  23. ^ "INDIA bloc meets and sulking members in aftermath: A consistent saga in 4 parts". India Today. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  24. ^ a b c d e f g h "Gurmitkal Assembly Constituency Election Result". Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  25. ^ "Chittapur Assembly Constituency Election Result". Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  26. ^ a b c "Gulbarga Lok Sabha Election Result". Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  27. ^ "Personal life of Mallikarjun Kharge". Business Standard. 3 June 2014. Archived from the original on 3 June 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  28. ^ "About Buddha Vihar, Gulbarga". Buddha vihar Gulbarga.
  29. ^ "A grand bow to the arts". The Hindu. 1 July 2005. Archived from the original on 27 January 2011.
Lok Sabha
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for
Gulbarga

2009–2019 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by
Minister of Labour and Employment

2009–2013 		Succeeded by
Sis Ram Ola
Preceded by Minister of Railways
2013–2014 		Succeeded by
DV Sadananda Gowda
Party political offices
Preceded by President of
Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee
2005–2008 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Leader of the Indian National Congress
in the Lok Sabha
2014–2019 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha
2021–2022 		Vacant
Preceded by President of the Indian National Congress
2022–Present 		Incumbent
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