Mallikarjun Kharge

Mallikarjun Kharge
Kharge in 2011
President of the Indian National Congress
Incumbent
Assumed office 26 October 2022
Preceded by	Sonia Gandhi (interim)
Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha
Incumbent
Assumed office 16 February 2021
Vice President	Venkaiah Naidu Jagdeep Dhankhar
Deputy	Anand Sharma (till 2022) Pramod Tiwari (from 2023)
Preceded by	Ghulam Nabi Azad
Leader of the Indian National Congress, Lok Sabha
In office 4 June 2014 – 23 May 2019
Prime Minister	Narendra Modi
Preceded by	Sushilkumar Shinde
Succeeded by	Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury
Chairperson of Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance
Incumbent
Assumed office 13 January 2024
Preceded by	Position Established
Minister of Railways
In office 17 June 2013 – 26 May 2014
Prime Minister	Manmohan Singh
Preceded by	C. P. Joshi
Succeeded by	D. V. Sadananda Gowda
Minister of Labour and Employment
In office 29 May 2009 – 16 June 2013
Prime Minister	Manmohan Singh
Preceded by	Oscar Fernandes
Succeeded by	Sis Ram Ola
Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly
In office 19 December 1996 – 7 July 1999
Preceded by	B. S. Yediyurappa
Succeeded by	Jagadish Shettar
Preceded by	N. Dharam Singh
Succeeded by	Siddaramaiah
Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
Incumbent
Assumed office 12 June 2020
Preceded by	Rajeev Gowda
Constituency	Karnataka
General Secretary of AICC and Incharge for Maharashtra
In office 22 June 2018 – 11 September 2020
Preceded by	Position Created
Succeeded by	H. K. Patil
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
In office 31 May 2009 – 23 May 2019
Preceded by	Iqbal Ahmed Saradgi
Succeeded by	Umesh. G. Jadhav
Constituency	Gulbarga
President of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee
In office 2005–2008
Preceded by	Janardhana Poojary
Succeeded by	R. V. Deshpande
Member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, Karnataka
In office 1972–2008
Preceded by	N. Yenkappa
Succeeded by	Baburao Chinchansur
Constituency	Gurmitkal
In office 2008–2009
Preceded by	Vishwanath Patil Hebbal
Succeeded by	Valmiki Naik
Constituency	Chittapur
Minister of Home Affairs, Government of Karnataka
In office 1999–2004
Chief Minister	S. M. Krishna
Minister of Rural Development, Government of Karnataka
In office 1978–1980
Personal details
Born	(1942-07-21) 21 July 1942 (age 81) Warwatti, Hyderabad State, British India (now Karnataka, India)
Political party	Indian National Congress
Spouse	Radhabai Kharge ​ (m. 1968)​
Children	5
Parents	Mapanna (father) Saibavva (mother)
Education	B A, L L B
Alma mater	Government College, Gulbarga University, Gulbarga
Source: sansad.in

Mapanna Mallikarjun Kharge (born 21 July 1942) is an Indian lawyer and politician serving as the President of the Indian National Congress since 2022,^[1] and Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha since 2021. He has been a Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha from Karnataka since 2020.

He was the chairperson of Public Accounts Committee in 16th Lok Sabha from 2016 to 2019. During the UPA 2 government, he served as the Minister of Railways from 2013 to 2014 and Minister of Labour and Employment from 2009 to 2013 in the Union Cabinet. Kharge was a Member of Parliament for Gulbarga, Karnataka from 2009 to 2019. He was also general secretary of All India Congress Committee and incharge for Maharashtra from 2018 to 2020.

He is a senior Karnataka politician and was the Leader of opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly from 1996 to 1999. He was the President of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee from 2005 to 2008. He was a member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly from Gurmitkal Assembly constituency from 1972 to 2008 and from Chittapur Assembly constituency from 2008 to 2009 and Ministry of home affairs, Government of Karnataka from 1999 to 2004 and Rural development from 1978 to 1980. He defeated Shashi Tharoor in the 2022 Indian National Congress presidential election.

He is known for his record of defeating all his opposition candidates in his lifetime career except one.^[2]