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Mallikarjun Kharge

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Mallikarjun Kharge
74th President of Indian National Congress
Assumed office
26 October 2022
Preceded byRahul Gandhi
Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha
In office
16 February 2021 (2021-02-16) and 17 December 2022 (2022-12-17) – 1 October 2022 and Incumbent
ChairmanVenkaiah Naidu
Jagdeep Dhankhar
Prime MinisterNarendra Modi
Preceded byGhulam Nabi Azad
Leader of Indian National Congress, Lok Sabha
In office
4 June 2014 – 16 June 2019
Preceded bySushilkumar Shinde
Succeeded byAdhir Ranjan Chowdhury
Chairperson of Public Accounts Committee
In office
2016–2019
Appointed bySumitra Mahajan (Lok Sabha Speaker)
Preceded byK V Thomas
Succeeded byAdhir Ranjan Chowdhury
Minister of Railways
In office
17 June 2013 – 26 May 2014
Prime MinisterManmohan Singh
Preceded byC. P. Joshi
Succeeded byD. V. Sadananda Gowda
Minister of Labour and Employment
In office
29 May 2009 – 16 June 2013
Prime MinisterManmohan Singh
Preceded byOscar Fernandes
Succeeded bySis Ram Ola
Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly
In office
19 December 1996 – 7 July 1999
Preceded byB. S. Yediyurappa
Succeeded byJagadish Shettar
In office
5 June 2008 – 28 May 2009
Preceded byN. Dharam Singh
Succeeded bySiddaramaiah
Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
Assumed office
12 June 2020
Preceded byRajeev Gowda
ConstituencyKarnataka
General Secretary of
AICC and Incharge for Maharashtra
In office
22 June 2018 – 11 September 2020
Preceded byPosition Created
Succeeded byH. K. Patil
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
In office
31 May 2009 – 23 May 2019
Preceded byIqbal Ahmed Saradgi
Succeeded byUmesh. G. Jadhav
ConstituencyGulbarga
President of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee
In office
2005–2008
Preceded byJanardhana Poojary
Succeeded byR. V. Deshpande
Member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, Karnataka
In office
1972–2008
Preceded byN. Yenkappa
Succeeded byBaburao Chinchansur
ConstituencyGurmitkal
In office
2008–2009
Preceded byVishwanath Patil Hebbal
Succeeded byValmiki Naik
ConstituencyChittapur
Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of Karnataka
In office
1999–2004
Chief MinisterS. M. Krishna
Minister of Rural Development, Government of Karnataka
In office
1978–1980
In office
1990–1992
Personal details
Born (1942-07-21) 21 July 1942 (age 82)
Warwatti, Bhalki taluka, Bidar district, Hyderabad State, British India (present-day Karnataka, India)
Political partyIndian National Congress
Spouse(s)
Radhabai Kharge
(m. 1968)
Children5
Alma materGovernment College, Gulbarga
Gulbarga University

Mapanna Mallikarjun Kharge (born 21 July 1942) is an Indian politician. He is the Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha from Karnataka and Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha from 17 December 2022.[1] He is the Minister of Railways and Minister of Labour and Employment. Kharge is a member of the Indian National Congress (INC) political party.[2] He was a Member of Parliament for Gulbarga, Karnataka from 2009 to 2019. On October 19, 2022, Kharge was elected as the President of the Congress Party.

Early life and education

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Mallikarjun Kharge was born on 21 July 1942 in Varavatti village, which is in Kalaburagi district (formerly Gulbarga) in Karnataka, India. He belonged to a poor family and faced many difficulties in his early life. His family belonged to the Dalit community, which faced social and economic challenges in India. He studied at Government College, Gulbarga and later earned a law degree from Seth Shankarlal Lahoti Law College. Before entering politics, Kharge worked as a lawyer and helped people with labour and land issues.

Political career

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Kharge started his political career in the 1960s by joining the Indian National Congress. He was first elected as a Member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly in 1972 from Gurmitkal constituency. He won nine consecutive times in state elections, which made him one of the most successful politicians in Karnataka.

During his long political career, Kharge held many positions in the Karnataka state government, such as:

  • Minister for Education
  • Minister of Home Affairs
  • Minister of Water Resources
  • Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly

National politics

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In 2009, Kharge was elected to the Lok Sabha (the lower house of Parliament) from Gulbarga. He was re-elected in 2014. During his time in the central government, he served as:

  • Minister of Labour and Employment (2009–2013)
  • Minister of Railways (2013–2014)

He was known for his speeches in Parliament and for standing up for workers’ rights and social justice.

Rajya Sabha and party leadership

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After losing the 2019 general election from Gulbarga, Kharge was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2020. On 17 December 2022, he became the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha. [3]

On 19 October 2022, he was elected as the President of the Indian National Congress, [4] [5] becoming the first person outside the Nehru-Gandhi family to hold the post in over two decades.

Personal life

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Kharge is married to Radhabai Kharge, and they have children. One of his sons, Priyank Kharge, is also a politician and has served as a minister in the Karnataka state government.

References

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  1. "Congress names Mallikarjun Kharge for leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha". The Times of India. 12 February 2021. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  2. "Spectacular rise for Kharge". The Hindu. 29 May 2009. Archived from the original on 2 June 2009. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
  3. "Know about the New Congress President". Indian National Congress. 29 October 2022. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
  4. "'No need for self-praise': Mallikarjun Kharge takes swipe at PM Modi, calls for Parliament session". The Economic Times. 1 June 2025. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
  5. "President of the Indian National Congress". Indian National Congress. Retrieved 4 June 2025.