Mallikarjun Kharge (born 21 July 1942) is an Indian politician and the president of the Indian National Congress, a post he has held since October 2022. He is the first person from outside the Gandhi family to lead the party in 24 years and only its second Dalit president. In a career of more than five decades he won eleven elections in a row in Karnataka, served as Union Minister for Labour and for Railways and is Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Mapanna Mallikarjun Kharge |
| Born | 21 July 1942, Warawatti, Bidar district, Karnataka, India |
| Age | 84 |
| Party | Indian National Congress (president since 2022) |
| Offices | Leader of the Opposition, Rajya Sabha (2021–present); Minister of Railways (2013–2014); Minister of Labour (2009–2013) |
| Education | Government College, Gulbarga (B.A.); Seth Shankarlal Lahoti Law College (LL.B.) |
| Spouse | Radhabai Kharge (m. 1968) |
| Children | 5, including Priyank Kharge |
Early Life
Kharge was born in a Dalit family in Warawatti village. When he was about seven his mother and sister died in a fire during communal violence in the region, and his father moved with him to Gulbarga (now Kalaburagi), where he worked in a textile mill. Kharge studied there, became a student union leader, took a law degree and practised as a labour lawyer, representing mill workers. He follows Buddhism and founded the Siddharth Vihar Trust in Kalaburagi.
Political Career
He joined the Congress in 1969 and won the Gurmitkal assembly seat in 1972. He held it for eight consecutive terms and then won Chitapur in 2008, serving in the state cabinet under several Chief Ministers with portfolios including revenue, home and education. He was Leader of the Opposition in the assembly and president of the state Congress, but was passed over for Chief Minister more than once.
He won the Gulbarga Lok Sabha seat in 2009 and 2014. In Manmohan Singh‘s government he was Minister of Labour and Employment and then of Railways. After the Congress was reduced to 44 seats in 2014 he led the party in the Lok Sabha. He lost his first election in 2019, entered the Rajya Sabha in 2020 and became Leader of the Opposition there in February 2021.
In October 2022 he defeated Shashi Tharoor in the party’s first contested presidential election in over two decades, succeeding Sonia Gandhi. Under him the party won Karnataka and Telangana in 2023 and helped form the INDIA alliance of opposition parties, and the Congress nearly doubled its Lok Sabha seats to 99 in 2024.
Personal Life
Kharge married Radhabai in 1968. Their son Priyank Kharge is a minister in the Karnataka government. He speaks Kannada, Hindi, Urdu, Marathi, Telugu and English.
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Mallikarjun Kharge born?
Mallikarjun Kharge was born on 21 July 1942 in Warawatti, Bidar district, Karnataka, India and is 84 years old.
Featured image: Mallikarjun Kharge takes charge as Union Minister for Railways, New Delhi, 19 June 2013. Photo by Ministry of Railways, licensed under Government Open Data License – India, via Wikimedia Commons.
