Kharge: The leader who can boast of making south India ‘BJP mukt’ now

For Kharge, the battle was a prestige issue as a loss could have an impact on his leadership at the central level

On May 10 when Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge went to vote, he walked into the polling booth in Basava Nagar for the 28th time in 55 years. Unlike previous times, his vote had an added weight of expectation as a victory in the state would add a feather to his cap.

This was one battle that 'Solillada Sardara' (the warrior who never lost) did not want to lose at any cost as it would have a bearing on him and spent the last one month in Karnataka without stepping out.

A leader who never wants to lose and still remains upset about lone defeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, Kharge was the man with a broad smile on Saturday as his home state gave a huge push to the party which he now leads and can boast of making south India “BJP-mukt” at least for the time being.

Also Read: Kharge makes emotional appeal on home turf, says he is Karnataka's 'Bhoomi Putra' like Modi said he was in Gujarat

Kharge made an emotional pitch during the campaign calling himself the ‘bhumiputra’ (son of the soil) and sought votes. However, once he appeared to slip with the ‘poisonous snake’ remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi but soon expressed regret.

Party leaders credit Kharge for the victory as he ran around the state -- attending 34 public meetings and roadshows, four workers' meetings and five press conferences after the Congress launched its campaign blitzkrieg on April 16 with a rally in Kolar which Rahul Gandhi attended.

For Kharge, the battle was a prestige issue as a loss could have had an impact on his leadership at the central level. Kharge led from the front and his knowledge on his home state was an added advantage in the planning of the campaign.

His seniority in the party also helped him in brokering peace between Siddaramaiah and D K Shivakumar while advising leaders where to tread and where not to.

Also Read: Focus on local issues pays, but Congress yet to crack a national strategy

Unlike earlier times, he was the last word in the party owing to his position but he managed it without ruffling feathers while remaining firm when he thought the leaders were faltering.

The victory in Karnataka has also emboldened Kharge and it would give him more leverage within the party as well as in the Opposition, which is looking at forging unity ahead of Lok Sabha elections.

This would give him confidence in rewriting the rules of engagement within his party. A man known for consultations, Kharge’s next assignment would be to constitute the Congress Working Committee (CWC). The Raipur Plenary had authorised him to appoint members to the CWC.

He would also have enough time before the next round of Assembly elections later this year to bring in a new team of office bearers.