India: Mallikarjun Kharge to take charge as Congress president today

On Wednesday, the newly-elected president of the Indian National Congress Mallikarjun Kharge will take charge of the post at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters in Delhi.

All Congress Working Committee members, MPs, Pradesh Congress Committee presidents, CLP leaders, former CMs, former State presidents, and other AICC office bearers have been invited to the programme.

The invitation had been sent to all these stakeholders by the AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal. On Tuesday, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel also confirmed his presence at the event.

"Mallikarjun Kharge will take charge as the national president of the Congress party. I too have been asked to be present at the occasion. So, I am going to Delhi," said Baghel, at Raipur.

Kharge beat his opponent Shashi Tharoor by a huge margin in the race to the party's top post, becoming the first non-Gandhi to take over the office after 24 years.

Kharge secured 7,897 votes in the presidential contest, while Tharoor got only 1,072 votes in the voting, held on October 17.

Soon after his poll victory, Kharge said that the party had presented an "example of strengthening the country's democracy by conducting organisational elections at the national level", at a time when democracy was "in danger" in the country.

Addressing the media after his victory, Kharge explained that the Congress had "continuously strengthened democracy" in the 75 years after independence, and had protected the Constitution.

"I thank everyone connected with the election," he said.

He also congratulated Tharoor, and said that they had also discussed methods to take the party forward. The latter had visited Kharge's residence to congratulate him on his victory.

"I want to congratulate my partner Shashi Tharoor as well. We were contesting the election as representatives. He met me and we discussed how to take the party forward," Kharge said. Kharge will also visit poll-bound states like Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat soon.

ALSO READ:

• Mallikarjun Kharge elected new president of Indian National Congress, defeating Shashi Tharoor

• India's Congress party requires youthful energy and fresh ideas

• India's main opposition stages rally to mark 1,000 km of its protest march

• India