Congress veteran Mallikarjun Kharge will take over the reins of the party from Sonia Gandhi following an easy contest for the top post with underdog Shashi Tharoor. The 80-years-old leader’s tenure will begin at a difficult time for Congress as it is breathing for survival with the Bharatiya Janata Party’s juggernaut winning back to back elections from the states to the national level and regional parties securing its lost ground.
Kharge, who was considered as choice of Gandhi family and had the backing of several senior leaders and majority of state PCCs, bagged 7897 votes while his rival Tharoor got only 1072 votes. As many as 416 votes were rejected during the counting today. Over 9,500 delegates voted on Monday to choose the successor of Sonia Gandhi.
Though there was a contest for the top post but both contenders– Kharge and Tharoor- maintained that they are colleagues and there are no differences between them. Before the polls, Tharoor came up with a poll manifesto outlining his priorities while Kharge said that his only agenda is to implement the party’s Udaipur declaration.
Here are some reasons why this Congress president elections was historic:
First Election for Congress President Post in 22 Years
Other political parties have often criticised Congress over alleged interference of Gandhi family in its affairs and this election was seen as an attempt to democratically elect a leader who will lead the party. This was the first internal elections for the top post in Congress in the past two decades. The last poll took place in November 2000 when Sonia Gandhi defeated Jitendra Prasada by a big margin.
A non-Gandhi to Lead Congress after 24 Years
Sonia Gandhi remains the longest serving party president in the history of over 130-year-old party. She took over party’s control from Sitaram Kesri following the 1998 Lok Sabha polls and has been at the helm since then barring a two-year period between 2017-19 when Rahul Gandhi became Congress president.
It will be the first time after 24 years that a leader from non-Gandhi family background will become the party president. Sitaram Kesri was the last non-Gandhi chief in 1998 before Sonia Gandhi took over.
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Mallikarjun Kharge to be 2nd AICC President from Karnataka After S Nijalingappa
Popularly known as Karnataka’s ‘solillada sardara’ (a warrior who knows no defeat), Kharge will be the second Congress president from the state after after S Nijalingappa (1968-69).
Nijalingappa was elected to Lok Sabha from Chitradurga seat in 1952. Before the split in the Congress, he was last president of the undivided Congress party. Later, he joined Syndicate leaders.
Sixth Election for Congress President in 137-year-old History
Congress was witnessing an election for its president for the sixth time in its nearly 137-year-old history. “This is actually the sixth time that the Congress is having internal elections for its president in its 137-year-history. The media has highlighted 1939, 1950, 1997 and 2000. In fact, there had been elections too in 1977 when Kasu Brahmananda Reddy was elected,” Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh had said.
In 1939, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose won against Mahatma Gandhi’s candidate P Sitaramayya when an contest took place to decide party president. In the last elections in 2000, Sonia Gandhi had defeated Jitendra Prasada.
Kharge 6th Congressman from South India to Lead Party
With over five decades of experience in electoral politics, Kharge will be the sixth Congressman from south India to lead the party after some stalwarts like Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, K Kamaraj and PV Narasimha Rao, according to Times of India.
Kharge is Second Dalit Leader to Become Congress President
The veteran Congressman is the second Dalit leader to hold the top post after Jagjivan Ram. Jagjivan Ram served as the president of Indira Gandhi-led Congress. After the emergency, he left the Congress in 1977 to join the Janata Party and later founded his own party Congress (J) in 1981.
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