A consensus builder who never lost patience: Tracing Mallikarjuna Kharge's journey

Mallikarjuna Kharge’s victory in the Congress presidential polls comes as no surprise. Much before the polling, Kharge had received the support of scores of party leaders who had vociferously supported him against his rival, Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor. Over the last two decades, Kharge has come to be known as the Gandhi family’s most trusted lieutenant. But beyond this, in his political career spanning over 50 years, Kharge has shown tremendous versatility in the roles he has performed. 

In the run up to the Congress elections, pitted against a more articulate Shashi Tharoor who has called himself a candidate of change, a large section of the media had reduced a more subdued Kharge to just a Gandhi family proxy. But there is a lot that Kharge brings to the table that could help the Congress stabilise the party that is in deep electoral trouble. 

Early years and start of his political career

Kharge began his political journey when he was studying at the Government College in Gulbarga. He had been involved in student politics for a few years before he stood for elections himself. HT Pothe, the director of Pali and Buddhist Studies Centre and Kharge’s biographer, says Kharge had helped many of his friends win elections in college.

Pothe says that when Kharge was in his second year, he stood for the post of General Secretary of the students' body and won. This was his first election and his political career had begun.