Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday congratulated Mallikarjun Kharge on being elected president of the grand old party. Stating that Kharge “represents a democratic vision of India”, the Wayanad MP said the Congress president’s “ideological commitment will serve the party well”.
Kharge, on Wednesday, became the first non-Gandhi Congress president in 24 years.
“Congratulations to Mallikarjun Kharge ji on being elected as the President of @INCIndia. 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,” Rahul Gandhi wrote on Twitter.
Congress’s central election authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry announced Kharge’s name after the counting of votes and said that of the total 9,385 votes polled in the Congress president poll, Kharge got 7,897 votes and Tharoor received 1,072 votes. The rest of the 416 votes were declared invalid.
Rajasthan Congress leader Sachin Pilot said Kharge’s election is “a win of democracy”.
“Mallikarjun Kharge won with a huge majority; a win of democracy. I congratulated him. I have faith that his experience will benefit the party. 9000 elected people elected the president – this was never done before by any party. The Opposition must be nervous today,” Pilot told the media.
Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel said he “believes the party will move forward under Kharge’s leadership”.
“After years, polls for Congress president were held and Mallikarjun Kharge won by a huge margin. We believe that the party will move forward under his leadership and we will be able to rein in the fascist forces,” he told reporters.
Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot said, “It is a moment of pride that Mallikarjun Kharge became Congress President, he is an experienced leader. Congress will strengthen under his leadership, and our party is united across the country.”