Mallikarjun Kharge campaigned extensively for the Congress in Karnataka
Bengaluru:
In an emotional appeal to voters in his home constituency on the last day of campaigning, Mallikarjun Kharge asked them to take pride in the fact that he had been made AICC president as a “Bhoomiputra” of Karnataka, and sought victory for the same. It was Congress by the same name
That seems to have worked for him in the 224-member Karnataka Assembly elections held on May 10 and votes counted on Saturday, with voters awarding the Congress a majority of 136 seats.
Several party leaders credited Kharge for mainly camping in the state and advising the party at all levels ahead of the elections.
A lot seemed to be riding on the octogenarian leader, who extensively addressed rallies across the state and campaigned for Congress candidates. Altogether he addressed 24 public meetings and did a road show.
“I want to tell (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi now that I am ‘Bhoomiputra’ (son of the soil) of Karnataka and Gulbarga (Kalaburagi). The rights you have in Gujarat, I have and I should get it. ” You didn’t do anything for me, but I am asking by working for my area. What have you done to seek votes here?” Kharge had said while addressing an election rally in Kalaburagi earlier this week.
Kharge said it was because of the blessings of the people of Kalaburagi that he was in Parliament and in the Assembly, and served in various capacities, including as Leader of the Opposition. Though he lost the Lok Sabha elections, party leader Sonia Gandhi made him a Rajya Sabha member and then Leader of the Opposition.
To top it all, he has been made the AICC President. “It is a matter of pride for the people of Gulbarga (Kalaburagi) and the state, not mine,” he said.
The Congress entered the campaign with the challenge of keeping factionalism at bay, especially between the camps of its two chief ministerial candidates – Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar – who were often seen engaging in political one-upmanship. It has somehow managed to put up a united front and ensure that no rifts come to the fore and derail its prospects.
Party leaders suggest that Kharge should be credited for bringing a sense of unity among the rank and file for the election. He also ensured that there was a consensus among all sections in deciding the candidates, which eventually paid off.
Though the Congress campaign was initially centered around its state leaders like Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, Kharge gave it momentum and thus prepared the pitch for the party’s top leaders Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi to join it.
Kharge is only the second leader after Jagjivan Ram to become Congress president from the Dalit community, which constitutes about 24 per cent of the population among the more than 100 caste groups in the state. With his appointment, the state Congress was expected to reap dividends in consolidating its Dalit vote base within.
However, there is also anger in a large section of the community that the Congress, which has enjoyed their support for a long time, did not make a Dalit the chief minister. Kharge himself had lost after coming very close to it a couple of times.
According to party sources, Kharge lost the race to become chief minister thrice – to SM Krishna in 1999, Dharam Singh in 2004, and Siddaramaiah in 2013.
Amid stiff competition between him and senior leader Siddaramaiah for the CM’s post in case the Congress is voted to power in the assembly elections, Karnataka state Congress president Shivakumar had attempted to field Kharge, which raised eyebrows within party circles. Had offered
However, Kharge himself was overruled saying that he is now the AICC president.
The second AICC president from Karnataka after S Nijalingappa, he now has the credit of winning his home state during his presidency.
After taking charge as the first non-Gandhi Congress president in 24 years, in October 2022, this is his second electoral victory after Himachal Pradesh in December last year.
At a time when everything seemed to be going well for it, the Congress during the election campaign has accused Prime Minister Modi of Mallikarjun Kharge’s “poisonous snake” and then his son and Chittapur MLA Priyank Kharge’s “worthless son”. Caught in disputes with (disabled). son) made comments against him as he was lapped up by the BJP, which urged voters to punish the Congress for “politics of abuse”.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)