Mallikarjun Kharge

Mallikarjun Kharge
74th President of Indian National Congress
Incumbent
Assumed office 26 October 2022
Preceded by	Rahul 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
Chairman	Venkaiah Naidu Jagdeep Dhankhar
Prime Minister	Narendra Modi
Preceded by	Ghulam Nabi Azad
Leader of Indian National Congress, Lok Sabha
In office 4 June 2014 – 16 June 2019
Preceded by	Sushilkumar Shinde
Succeeded by	Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury
Chairperson of Public Accounts Committee
In office 2016–2019
Appointed by	Sumitra Mahajan (Lok Sabha Speaker)
Preceded by	K V Thomas
Succeeded by	Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury
Minister of Railways
In office 17 June 2013 – 26 May 2014
Prime Minister	Manmohan Singh
Preceded by	C. P. Joshi
Succeeded by	D. V. Sadananda Gowda
Minister of Labour and Employment
In office 29 May 2009 – 16 June 2013
Prime Minister	Manmohan Singh
Preceded by	Oscar Fernandes
Succeeded by	Sis Ram Ola
Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly
In office 19 December 1996 – 7 July 1999
Preceded by	B. S. Yediyurappa
Succeeded by	Jagadish Shettar
In office 5 June 2008 – 28 May 2009
Preceded by	N. Dharam Singh
Succeeded by	Siddaramaiah
Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
Incumbent
Assumed office 12 June 2020
Preceded by	Rajeev Gowda
Constituency	Karnataka
General Secretary of AICC and Incharge for Maharashtra
In office 22 June 2018 – 11 September 2020
Preceded by	Position Created
Succeeded by	H. K. Patil
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
In office 31 May 2009 – 23 May 2019
Preceded by	Iqbal Ahmed Saradgi
Succeeded by	Umesh. G. Jadhav
Constituency	Gulbarga
President of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee
In office 2005–2008
Preceded by	Janardhana Poojary
Succeeded by	R. V. Deshpande
Member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, Karnataka
In office 1972–2008
Preceded by	N. Yenkappa
Succeeded by	Baburao Chinchansur
Constituency	Gurmitkal
In office 2008–2009
Preceded by	Vishwanath Patil Hebbal
Succeeded by	Valmiki Naik
Constituency	Chittapur
Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of Karnataka
In office 1999–2004
Chief Minister	S. 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 Warwatti, Bhalki taluka, Bidar district, Hyderabad State, British India (present-day Karnataka, India)
Political party	Indian National Congress
Spouse(s)	Radhabai Kharge ​ (m. 1968)​
Children	5
Alma mater	Government 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. He is the Minister of Railways and Minister of Labour and Employment. Kharge is a member of the Indian National Congress (INC) political party. 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

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

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

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

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.

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

Personal life

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.