Veteran Congress leader Mapanna Mallikarjun Kharge has won the presidential election of the party and succeeded Sonia Gandhi at the party’s highest office.
The senior leader from Karnataka locked horns with Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor for these polls and got a 7,897 vote majority. Elections were held on October 17. The results were announced on Wednesday.
About 9500 votes were cast in this election. While Kharge got 7,897 votes, 1072 people voted in support of Tharoor. Party sources revealed that another 416 votes were rejected.
Known as a staunch Gandhi family loyalist, the 80-year-old leader has become the party’s first non-Gandhi president in 24 years. He is also the 2nd AICC President from Karnataka after S. Nijalingappa and also the second Dalit leader after Jagjivan Ram to occupy the position.