The highly anticipated results of the party presidential election for the Congress finally came on 19th October 2022. The new Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge won the poll by a huge margin against diplomat-turned-politician Shashi Tharoor. Keep reading to know more about the new Congress president and his life and career. and
Who Is Mallikarjun Kharge?
The new Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge will be taking oath as the party president on 25th October 2022. He is all set to become the first non-Gandhi leader to hold the position of president in the last 24 years. Mallikarjun Kharge is an 80-year-old veteran Dalit leader from Karnataka.
Apart from that, the new Congress president will also be the second Dalit party member to lead the Congress party in its entire existence. Mallikarjun Kharge is often known as Solidada Sardara, meaning, a warrior without defeat.
Life Of The New Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge
- Early life
Mallikarjun Kharge was born on 21st July, 1942 in Varawatti, Bhalki Taluk in Bidar district of Karnataka. He was a Dalit by caste. His parents were Mapanna Kharge and Saibavva. When he was 7, his family had to flee from their native village due to a communal riot where Kharge lost his mother. After that, they settled in Kalaburagi, (then Gulbarga).
- Education
Mallikarjun Kharge’s primary schooling was done in Nutan Vidyalaya in Gulbarga. Later, he attended the town’s government college and obtained his bachelor’s degree in Arts. He finished his law degree at Seth Shankarlal Lahoti Law College, Gulbarga.
- Career
After finishing his law studies, Mallikarjun Kharge started practising in Shivraj Patil’s office who was a junior Justice. He fought cases for labour unions in the initial duration of his career. And thus, in 1969, Kharge became the legal advisor for the employee union of MSK Mills. In the same year, he joined Indian National Congress as the president of the Gulbarga City Congress Committee.
- Family
Mallikarjun Kharge married Radhabai Kharge on 13 May 1968. They have 5 children together, 3 of which are sons, namely Priyank, Rahul and Milind, and 2 are daughters, Priyadarshini and Jayashree.
Also Read- Congress Bharat Jodo Yatra: Everything There Is To Know
More Information About Mallikarjun Kharge – The New Congress President
Here is some lesser-known information about the new Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge:
- He is fluent in 5 Indian languages, both written and spoken, including Hindi, English, Marathi, Kannada and Urdu.
- Kharge’s ideologies are deeply influenced by the incident when he lost his mother to communal violence at the age of 7.
- Mallikarjun Kharge is a good sportsman having received lots of laurels in Kabbadi, hockey, football and cricket. He was a state-level player in kabaddi and hockey.
- At the young age of 27, Kharge became the president of the Kalaburagi town Congress committee.
- He has a fondness for food. His all-time favourite is a good non-vegetarian dish served with Jowar roti.
- Kharge is very strict with discipline at home. He highly condemns wasting food, electricity and water.
- Mallikarjun Kharge follows Buddhism and is a believer in Dr B. R. Ambedkar.
Also Read- Babasaheb Ambedkar And The History Of Dalit Buddhist Movement In India
Conclusion
This was all about the new Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and his life. We are hoping to see improvement in the party’s status with him as the leader. It will be news for the coming years because it is inevitable to avoid the comparison of non-Gandhi leaders with the previous leaders who served as Congress president.
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