Mallikarjun Kharge: News

Mallikarjun Kharge is a senior politician from Karnataka, belonging to the Indian National Congress (INC). He is a Member of Parliament in Rajya Sabha, representing Karnataka, and the Leader of the Opposition of the Upper House as of 2021. He is known for winning a record 10 consecutive elections, including nine straight victories in the Karnataka Assembly polls. A graduate in law, he briefly practiced as a junior lawyer before contesting for his first Assembly election in 1972 from Gurmitkal on a Congress ticket. In 1976, he was appointed as the Minister of State for Primary Education in the Karnataka Government. During his term, he ensured that 16,000 vacant positions reserved for SC/ST teachers were filled. In 2009, Kharge won his first Lok Sabha election from Gulbarga and was appointed the Minister of Labour and Employment (2009-13). Later, during 2013-14, he served as the Minister of Railways. He was appointed the Leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha in 2014, a post he presided over until 2019. Kharge suffered his first electoral defeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Gulbarga.

Kharge flags SIR, hails 'Delimitation Bill' defeat at INDIA meeting

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge slammed the central government during the INDIA bloc meeting on Monday, alleging that India's foreign policy is "severely compromised" and "crores are being deprived of voting rights" due to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.