Mallikarjun Kharge Age, Caste, Wife, Family, Biography & More

Bio/Wiki
Full name	Mapanna Mallikarjun Kharge [1]Hindustan Times
Names Earned	Solillada Saradara [2]Hindustan Times Note: Solillada Saradara translates to "a leader without defeat." Mallikarjun Kharge won the assembly elections in Karnataka 9 consecutive times from 1972 to 2008. The unprecedented wins were then followed by 2 consecutive wins in the general elections in 2009 and 2014.
Profession	Politician
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)	in centimeters- 178 cm in meters- 1.78 m in feet & inches- 5’ 10 ”
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Grey (half bald)
Politics
Political Party	Indian National Congress (INC) (1969-Present)
Political Journey	• Joined the Indian National Congress (INC) in 1969 • Became the President of the Gulbarga City Congress Committee in 1969 • Elected as MLA from Gurmitkal Assembly constituency in Karnataka in 1972 • Chairman of the Municipal Finances Enquiry Committee (Octroi Abolition Committee) (1973) • Minister of State, (Independent charge) Primary and Secondary Education, Karnataka (1976-1978) • Re-elected as MLA from Gurmitkal Assembly constituency in 1978 • Cabinet Minister, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Government of Karnataka (1979) • Cabinet Minister, Revenue, Government of Karnataka (1980-1983) • Re-elected as MLA from Gurmitkal Assembly constituency in 1983 • Appointed as Secretary of Congress Legislature Party, Karnataka Legislative Assembly (1983) • Served as General Secretary, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (1983 - 1985) • Re-elected as MLA from Gurmitkal Assembly constituency in 1985 • Became Deputy Leader of Opposition, Karnataka Legislative Assembly in 1985 • Re-elected as MLA from Gurmitkal Assembly constituency in 1989 • Cabinet Minister, Revenue, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Government of Karnataka (1990-1992) • Cabinet Minister, Co-operation, Large and Medium Industries, Government of Karnataka (1992-1994) • Re-elected as MLA from Gurmitkal Assembly constituency in 1994 • Leader, Congress Legislature Party and Leader of Opposition, Karnataka Legislative Assembly (1996-1999 and 2008-2009) • Re-elected as MLA from Gurmitkal Assembly constituency in 1999 • Cabinet Minister for Home, Infrastructure Development and Minor Irrigation, Government of Karnataka (1999-2004) • Re-elected as MLA from Gurmitkal Assembly constituency in 2004 • Cabinet Minister, Water Resources, Minor Irrigation and Transport, Government of Karnataka (2004-2006) • President, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (2005-2008) • Elected MP from Gulbarga Lok Sabha constituency in 2009 • Union Cabinet Minister, Labour and Employment (31 May 2009-17 June 2013) • Union Cabinet Minister, Railways and Social Justice and Empowerment (additional charge) (17 June 2013 - 26 May 2014) • Re-elected MP from Gulbarga Lok Sabha constituency in 2014 • Leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party in Lok Sabha (May 2014 - May 2019) • Permanent Member, Congress Working Committee • Member of Committee on Home Affairs (September 2014 - May 2019) • Member of Joint Parliamentary Committee on Maintenance of Heritage Character and Development of Parliament House Complex (October 2014-May 2019) • Member of Committee on Installation of Portraits/Statues of National Leaders and Parliamentarians in Parliament House Complex (October 2014-May 2019) • Member of National Committee (NC) for commemorating the 125th Birth Anniversary of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (20 October 2014 - 2019) • Member of General Purposes Committee (January 2015 - May 2019) • Chairperson of Public Accounts Committee (May 2017 - April 2019) • Member of Committee on Budget of Lok Sabha (May 2017 - April 2019) • Became General Secretary of AICC in 2018 • Became a Member of CWC in 2018 • Contested and lost Gulbarga Lok Sabha constituency in 2019 • Elected to Rajya Sabha in June 2020 • Member of Committee on Commerce (July 2020 - March 2021) • Member of Public Accounts Committee (February 2021 - April 2021) • Became Leader of the INC party, Rajya Sabha in February 2021 • Became Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha on 16 February 2021 • Member of General Purposes Committee in July 2021 • Tendered his resignation as the Leader of Opposition of Rajya Sabha in October 2022 for filing his nomination for the party’s presidential polls • Elected as the Congress President on 19 October 2022 after securing 7,897 out of the 9,385 votes polled, [3]The Hindu which was eight times more votes than his rival Shashi Tharoor [4]BBC
Personal Life
Date of Birth	21 July 1942 (Tuesday)
Age (as of 2024)	82 Years
Birthplace	Warwatti, Bidar, Hyderabad State, British India (now Bidar, Karnataka, India)
Zodiac sign	Cancer
Signature
Nationality	• British Indian (21 July 1942-15 August 1947) • Indian (15 August 1947-Present)
Hometown	Gulbarga (now Kalaburagi), Karnataka
School	Nutana Vidyalaya, Gulbarga (till 10th standard)
College/University	• Government Arts and Science College, Gulbarga • Seth Shankarlal Lahoti Law College, Gulbarga
Educational Qualification	• Bachelor of Arts (BA) at Government Arts and Science College, Gulbarga, Karnataka • Bachelor of Legislative Law (LLB) at Seth Shankarlal Lahoti Law College, Gulbarga [5]My Neta
Religion/Religious Views	Buddhism Note: Mallikarjun Kharge is also a staunch follower of B.R. Ambedkar and belives that Ambedkar’s monumental work “The Buddha and His Dhamma” gives us a better understanding of Buddhism. [6]The Hindu
Caste	Dalit [7]Hindustan Times
Address	Gulbarga Address “Lumbini” Aiwan-e-Shahi Area, Gulbarga, Karnataka-585102 Bangalore Address 289, 17th Cross, Sadashivnagar, Bangalore-560080
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Married
Marriage Date	13 May 1968
Family
Wife/Spouse	Radhabai Kharge
Children	Son(s)- Priyank Kharge (politician), Rahul Kharge (works as an advisor for IT companies), Milind Kharge Daughter(s)- Priyadarshini Kharge (doctor), Jayashree Kharge
Parents	Father- Mapanna Kharge Mother- Saibavva Kharge (deceased)
Money Factor
Assets/Properties	Movable Assets • Cash: Rs 6,50,000 • Deposits in Banks, Financial Institutions and Non-Banking Financial Companies: Rs 1,74,93,120 • Bonds, Debentures and Shares in companies: Rs 25,37,214 • Jewellery: Rs 39,66,000 Immovable Assets • Agricultural Land: Rs 1,44,36,200 • Non Agricultural Land: Rs 42,93,640 • Commercial Buildings: Rs 2,63,76,375 • Residential Buildings: Rs 8,79,70,348 Note: The given estimates of moveable and immovable assets are as per the financial year 2017-2018. [8]My Neta
Net Worth (as of 2017)	Rs 15,46,00,896 [9]My Neta

Some Lesser Known Facts About Mallikarjun Kharge

• Mallikarjun Kharge is an Indian politician and member of the Indian National Congress (INC). On 16 February 2021, he started serving as a Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha. Previously, he held the charge of the Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Labour and Employment in the central government and served as the Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly. On 19 October 2022, he was elected as the President of the Indian National Congress. ^[10]NDTV

• Due to communal riots, his family were forced to flee from their native village, in Bidar, when Kharge was seven. Kharge lost his mother during these riots. Eventually, the family settled in Gulbarga (now Kalaburagi).

•  Kharge was inclined towards politics as a student. From 1964 to 1965, he served as the General Secretary of the Students Union at  Government Arts and Science College, Gulbarga. From 1966 to 1967, he was the Vice-President of the Students Union at Seth Shankarlal Lahoti Law College, Gulbarga

• A keen sports player, he represented his college and university in hockey tournaments. He was also a skilled kabaddi and football player as a student and won many district and divisional-level prizes.

• After completing his formal education, he had a brief stint as a lawyer. In the beginning, he practised under Justice Shivaraj Patil. He fought for the rights of the trade union of MSK Mills and other industrial workers.

• In 1969, he ventured into active politics with INC and became the President of the Gulbarga City Congress Committee.

• After C.M. Stephen, who won a by-election in 1980, Kharge is the second MP elected from Gulbarga to be appointed as Union Cabinet Minister.

• He has served as the President of Sri Siddhartha Education Society, Tumkur (1974-1996) and President of the Karnataka People’s Education Society.

• He is the Founder-Chairman of Siddharth Vihar Trust and served as its President till 2012.

• He is a patron of the Chowdiah Memorial Hall, a cultural centre in Bangalore. Kharge lent his hand to the centre for its plans for renovation and to get over its debts.

• In 2011, Mallikarjun Kharge’s daughter Priyadarshini came into the spotlight for availing a site in the judicial layout. She was not eligible to purchase this land as she is a doctor by profession and the land was reserved for judicial employees. Apparently, she purchased site number 1,448 in Yelahanka (Allalasandra), a suburb of Bangalore on 15 January 2002 for Rs 1,96,837 (while the market value ran in crores). By availing the land, measuring 3,280 sq ft, she would have violated Clause-10 of the Model Bye-laws of HBCSs which deals with the rights of members. Clause-10(B) says: “He/she in the case of Employee House Building Society is an employee of the organisation for which the society has been organised and has put in a minimum continuous or intermittent service of five years in Karnataka.” However, in the light of allegations, she returned the land in question to the Karnataka State Judicial Department Employees House Building Co-operative Society (KSJDEHBCS) in 2011.

• On 26 October 2022, he formally took over as Congress President after he received the certificate of election from Madhusudan Mistry, party’s central election authority chairman, at a function at the AICC headquarters. ^[11]The Hindu
  

  Mallikarjun Kharge paying homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat before taking charge as Congress president, in New Delhi on 26 October 2022