Congress veteran Mallikarjun Kharge will take over the reins of the party from Sonia Gandhi after an easy contest with the weak Shashi Tharoor for the top post. The 80-year-old leader’s tenure will begin at a difficult time for the Congress as it struggles to survive with the Bharatiya Janata Party’s juggernaut winning back-to-back elections at the national level from the states and regional parties regaining their lost ground. is taking.
Kharge, who was considered the Gandhi family’s choice and had the support of several senior leaders and a majority of the state PCC, got 7897 votes, while his rival Tharoor got only 1072 votes. During the counting of votes today, 416 votes were rejected. More than 9,500 delegates voted on Monday to choose Sonia Gandhi’s successor.
Although there was a contest for the top post, both the contenders—Kharge and Tharoor—said they were allies and there was no difference of opinion between them. Ahead of the elections, Tharoor presented an election manifesto outlining his priorities, while Kharge said his only agenda was to implement the party’s Udaipur Declaration.
Here are some reasons why this Congress President election was historic:
First Election For the post of Congress President in 22 years
Other political parties have often criticized the Congress for alleged interference by the Gandhi family in its affairs, and the election was seen as an attempt to democratically elect a leader who would lead the party. This was the first internal election for the top post in the Congress in the last two decades. The last election was held in November 2000 when Sonia Gandhi defeated Jitendra Prasad by a huge margin.
A non-Gandhi to lead Congress after 24 years
Sonia Gandhi remains the longest-serving party president in the party’s history, more than 130 years old. He took control of the party from Sitaram Kesari after the 1998 Lok Sabha elections and has held the post since then except for a two-year term between 2017-19. Rahul Gandhi Became Congress President.
This will be the first time in 24 years that a leader from a non-Gandhi family will become the party president. Sitaram Kesari was the last non-Gandhi chief before Sonia Gandhi took over in 1998.
Mallikarjun Kharge to be second AICC President of Karnataka after S Nijalingappa
Known as the ‘Solilada Sardar’ (a warrior who knows no defeat) of Karnataka, Kharge will be the second Congress president of the state after S Nijalingappa (1968-69).
Nijalingappa was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1952 from the Chitradurga seat. Before the split in the Congress, he was the last president of the undivided Congress party. Later, he joined the syndicate leaders.
Sixth election for the post of Congress President in the history of 137 years
The Congress was witnessing elections for its president for the sixth time in its nearly 137-year-old history. “This is actually the sixth time that the Congress is holding internal elections for its president in its 137-year history. The media has exposed 1939, 1950, 1997 and 2000. In fact, elections were also held 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 a contest was held to decide the party president. In the last election of 2000, Sonia Gandhi defeated Jitendra Prasad.
Kharge is the sixth Congressman from the South India to lead the 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. times of India,
Kharge is the second Dalit leader to become the Congress President
He is the second Dalit leader to hold the top post after veteran Congressman Jagjivan Ram. Jagjivan Ram served as the president of the Congress led by Indira Gandhi. After the Emergency, he left the Congress in 1977 to join the Janata Party and later founded his own party Congress (J) in 1981.
read all Latest Politics News And today’s fresh news Here