Congress prez poll: What lies ahead of Mallikarjun Kharge

The Congress party's 24-year wait to get a non-Gandhi president come to an end on Wednesday (October 19) with Mallikarjun Kharge defeating Shashi Tharoor and taking over as the party's first non-Gandhi president in 24 years.

During the campaign, Tharoor, 66, urged electors to show courage and embrace the change that he envisioned for the party while Kharge, 80, seemed to have momentum with the backing of the Gandhi family as well as other senior leaders.

Track live updates of Congress president poll result here

Kharge, the veteran leader, lost just one electoral battle in nearly 60 years of political life and seemed to have cruised to an easy victory in the race for the top Congress post.

In party terms, this election was historic as Kharge now replaces Sonia Gandhi, the longest-serving party president who has been at the helm since 1998, barring two years between 2017 and 2019 when Rahul Gandhi had taken over. Now that Kharge has won the battle, let's look at what we can expect from him.

- Kharge faces the daunting challenge of reviving the party during an incredibly difficult phase. Kharge, in an interview with DH, asserted that his priority would be to implement the Udaipur Declaration, which was a collective plan for the revival of the party. In May this year, the Congress conducted a Chintan Shivir in Udaipur and came out with a detailed plan of action for the revitalisation. The declaration was a result of threadbare, in-depth analyses of issues that ranged from party organisation, the national economy and social justice to women empowerment, youth participation and foreign affairs.

Also Read: Kharge's challenges as the Congress president

- In terms of changes in organisational structure, Kharge said that he would ensure that youngsters made up 50 per cent of party posts. "For youngsters, in the Udaipur Declaration, we promised to give 50 per cent of seats to those below 50 years and I will do it," he said, adding that he believed in a collective approach and in taking everyone along, including youth and women.

- Kharge promised that he would make efforts to resolve issues concerning farmers, SCs, STs, OBCs, other minorities and small businessmen.

Also Read: Counting of votes for Congress presidential poll: 10-point guide

- In the fight against the NDA government at the Centre, the veteran leader is likely to bring up issues like price rise, PSU disinvestment, rising unemployment, the decline in the rupee value and the GST on essential items.

- On the growing buzz that he might be remote-controlled by the Gandhis, Kharge junked that narrative as an issue raised by the BJP to defame the Congress leadership. He said that he would not hesitate to take advice from anyone, including the Gandhi family, to run party affairs if he won the post.

- "The Congress is a democratic party, which has always functioned through a consultative mechanism," said Kharge, who is a grassroots politician and Gandhi loyalist. "I have over five decades of political and legislative experience. I have worked in various capacities as a minister and in the organisation, both in the state and at the Centre. All through this vast experience, I have realised that any change is not about an individual effort or individual power. That is why I believe in collective action and consultative processes. I believe in 'we' and not 'I'. And we all will work together to overcome the challenges before the party."

- During the campaign, Kharge highlighted his vast experience, coming up through the organisational ranks over decades and his ability to take everyone along.

- Kharge has been vocal about the Central Government's purported misuse of investigating agencies. He also blamed the Modi government for the destabilisation of the Congress-led governments in states like Madhya Pradesh, Goa and Manipur and stressed the need for a strong Opposition to counter the BJP and protect democracy in the country.

A race against time

Kharge also faces a race against time to prep for a number of Assembly polls that are scheduled to happen in the next 17 months before the next Lok Sabha elections. While the dates for the Himachal Assembly polls have been announced, the polls in Gujarat are expected to be held by December. Karnataka, Telangana, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh will conduct their Assembly elections next year. The elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the first since the state became a Union Territory, is also expected to happen next year.

(With inputs from DHNS, PTI)