Congress President Polls: What Rahul Gandhi Said On New Party Chief Mallikarjun Kharge

Mallikarjun Kharge defeated Shashi Tharoor by a massive margin in the Congress Presidential election.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday congratulated party chief-elect Mallikarjun Kharge. "The Congress President represents a democratic vision of India. His vast experience and ideological commitment will serve the party well as he takes on this historic responsibility," said Rahul on his official Twitter.

Mallikarjun Kharge defeated Shashi Tharoor by a massive margin in the Congress Presidential election. Kharge became the first non-Gandhi president of Congress after 24 years. As many as 9,500 delegates voted in the election and a voter turnout of 96 per cent was recorded. 

A total of 9,385 votes were counted, out of which Mallikarjun Kharge received 7,897 votes and Shashi Tharoor received 1,072 and 416 votes were invalid, Congress Central Election Authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry said in a press conference.

Madhya Pradesh state Congress President and former Chief Minister Kamal Nath said his heartiest congratulations to Mallikarjun Kharge on being elected the National President of the All India Congress Party, as reported by the news agency PTI.

Congratulating Kharge, former MP chief minister Kamal Nath said, “I am sure that his vast experience will benefit the Congress organisation a lot and under his able leadership the party will not only scale new heights, it will also get strengthened further.” Rajya Sabha member Digvijaya Singh also congratulated Kharge on getting elected as the Congress president through a democratic process.

Meanwhile, Former Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan has also extended his wishes to the newly-elect Congress President and expressed confidence that the new Congress president will renew the consultative process which existed in the party earlier.  

"I hope Kharge will use his electoral and administrative experience in strengthening the Congress and take it to new heights. I am confident that he will renew the consultative process that existed in the party earlier," Chavan said.

"There are many unresolved issues and the Assembly elections in two states due this year. There is the 2024 challenge as well. I wish Kharge takes the party to new heights," he said.