Mallikarjun Kharge takes charge as Congress chief

Senior leader Mallikarjun Kharge Wednesday took charge as the first non-Gandhi president the Congress after 24 year. Kharge secured the top post defeating party MP Shashi Tharoor by a huge margin at the presidential election held last week. During the ceremont at the AICC hq, the out going tnterim president president Sonia Gandhi said, “Congress presidency was a huge responsibility. I tried to discharge to my duties with sincerity.” Chairman of the Congress Central Election Authority, Madhusudan Mistry, handed over the election certificate to Kharge. The event was attended by  Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, Rahul is on a three-day break from his Bharat Jodo  Yatra from October 24 to 26. A hardcore Congressman loyal to the Gandhi family, Kharge has played multiple roles in different ministries. 

The son of a mill worker, who started his political journey as the city Congress chief, becomes the National President of the Congress - this distinction makes Congress the party of the nation, of the workers and of the public.#CongressPresidentKharge pic.twitter.com/yt3hDVmK11

— Congress (@INCIndia) October 26, 2022

As the head of the Congress, Kharge is tasked with reinventing the party and improving its electoral fortunes ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In 2023, a bigger test awaits Kharge. The year will see nine assembly elections, including in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, the only two states where the Congress has chief ministers.