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

Bio/Wiki
Full name	Priyank M Kharge [1]My Neta
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	Salt & Pepper
Politics
Political Party	Indian National Congress (INC)
Political Journey	• Joined INC in 1999 • Secretary Karnataka Pradesh Youth Congress (2005-2007) • General Secretary of Karnataka Pradesh Youth Congress (2007–2011) • Contested and lost the Chittapur Assembly Seat in the 2009 Karnataka bypolls • Elected as Vice President of Karnataka Pradesh Youth Congress (2011-2014) • Elected as MLA from Chittapur in 2013 • Minister of State for Tourism, Information Technology & Bio Technology, Government Of Karnataka (July 2016 - April 2018) • Elected as MLA from Chittapur in 2018 • Minister for Social Welfare, Government of Karnataka (8 June 2018 – 23 July 2019) • Became Spokesperson of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC)
Awards, Honours, Achievements	• Intel’s Technology Visionary Award (2018)
Personal Life
Date of Birth	22 November 1978 (Wednesday)
Age (as of 2022)	44 Years
Birthplace	Bengaluru, Karnataka
Zodiac sign	Sagittarius
Signature
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Gulbarga (now Kalaburagi), Karnataka
College/University	MES College, Malleswaram, Bengaluru, Karnataka
Educational Qualification	• PUC from MES College, Malleswaram, Bengaluru, Karnataka (1996-1998) [2]My Neta • Diploma in Graphics (Graphic Design) • Advanced Diploma in Animation (Animation, Interactive Technology, Video Graphics and Special Effects) [3]LinkedIn
Religion/Religious Views	Buddhism [4]The Times of India Note: Priyank Kharge also a staunch follower of B.R. Ambedkar
Caste	Dalit [5]The Times of India
Address	R/O Gundagurthi Village, Chitapur Taluk, Kalaburagi District-585317
Controversies	Land Controversy In 2011, Priyank Kharge made headlines when he announced his intention to surrender a 4,000-sq. ft plot in HSR Layout allotted to him by Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) when Congress leader N. Dharam Singh was the Chief Minister. At that time, the news of the allotment of G-category sites to politicians and their kin was surfacing in the media. Priyank had constructed a commercial building on the plot which was allotted to him at the throwaway price of Rs. 8.57 lakh. Priyank Kharge wrote to the BDA seeking cancellation of the allotment on 28 October 2011 stating that he “no longer needed” the plot. The BDA cancelled the allotment on 5 December 2011. However, when the issue stopped surfacing in the media, Kharge sought re-allotment of the site. On 9 December 2011, he wrote to the BDA, who approved the re-allotment of the site. On 23 January 2012, Kharge again approached the BDA as he sought to exchange his 4,000-sq. ft plot with a 2,400-sq. ft plot which had been allotted to his party colleague and Sedam MLA Sharan Prakash Rudrappa Patil under the G-category at HBR Layout. His request was sanctioned by BDA Commissioner Bharath Lal Meena. When the media asked why he wanted to exchange the plot with Patil, Kharge replied that "it was a mutual swap." [6]The Hindu While addressing the media, he also said, "When the controversy erupted, we wanted no part in it and returned the site. Then, our legal adviser told us that the matter of G-category allotments was before the court. We were advised that surrendering the plot at this stage was unnecessary.” Lewd Remark on Women In 2022, Priyank Kharge stirred controversy by making grave allegations against the BJP-ruled government. While addressing a press conference, Kharge said that men ''have to bribe to get a government job in Karnataka while 'young women have to sleep with someone.'' The remark drew sharp criticism from the BJP Karnataka, who responded to  Kharge's comment by tweeting, [7]Hindustan Times "Thousands of women, talented, educated, work hard, pass many exams and get jobs. Priyanka Kharge, due to these words of yours, aren't so many women insulted? Apologize immediately." Sanatana Dharma Row In September 2023, Priyank found himself in the midst of controversy when he lent his support to Udhayanidhi Stalin after Stalin made a statement during a press conference on 2 September 2023. In that statement, Stalin referred to 'Sanatana Dharma' as a disease and suggested its "eradication." While standing by Stalin, Priyank shared his perspective in an interview and said that according to him, any religion that did not promote equality or ensure the dignity of every individual as a human being couldn't be considered a religion. [8]The Hindu Both Priyank and Udhayanidhi faced an FIR in the same month for allegedly hurting religious sentiments. Priyank later talked about this in an interview and said that his intention had never been to offend anyone's religious sentiments. Priyank further added that he was ready to face any kind of consequences for expressing his views. [9]Hindustan Times Priyank Kharge, in the interview, said, My statement was not against any religion. I said that any religion that discriminates between human beings is not a religion. I follow the Constitution, my religion is the Constitution. If they want to file an FIR against me or they want to arrest me, it is up to the individuals, I really don't care. These people do not understand Kannada, Hindi or English. All I have said is that the Consitution is my religion. Does BJP have a problem with it? Let them file as many FIRs as they want, they are free to do so..."
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Married
Family
Wife/Spouse	Shruthi Kharge
Parents	Father- Mallikarjun Kharge (politician) Mother- Radhabai Kharge
Siblings	Brother(s)- Rahul Kharge (works as an advisor for IT companies), Milind Kharge Sister(s)- Priyadarshini Kharge (doctor), Jayashree Kharge
Money Factor
Assets/Properties	Movable Assets • Cash: Rs 3,00,000 • Deposits in Banks, Financial Institutions and Non-Banking Financial Companies: Rs 83,02,871 • Bonds, Debentures and Shares in companies: Rs 18,75,000 • NSS, Postal Savings etc: Rs 2,66,326 • Personal loans/advance given: Rs 26,50,000 • Motor Vehicles (details of make, etc.): Rs 29,52,090 • Jewellery: Rs 17,83,380 • Other assets, such as values of claims / interests: Rs 2,43,03,955 Immovable Assets • Agricultural Land: Rs 2,03,36,250 • Non Agricultural Land: Rs 1,96,14,906 • Commercial Buildings: Rs 3,89,19,526 • Residential Buildings: Rs 1,24,46,773 Note: The given estimates of movable and immovable assets are according to the year 2018. It excludes the assets owned by his wife and dependents (minor).
Net Worth (as of 2018)	Rs 12,67,86,588 [10]My Neta Note: It excludes the net worth of his wife and dependents (minors).

Some Lesser Known Facts About Priyank Kharge

• Priyank Kharge is an Indian politician and member of the Indian National Congress (INC). He was twice elected as the MLA from the Chittapur Assembly constituency, in 2013 and 2018. He is the son of Mallikarjun Kharge.

• Priyank Kharge entered politics in 1998 as an activist of the National Student Union of India (NSUI). He was appointed as NSUI College General Secretary in 1991. From 2005 to 2007, he served as NSUI General Secretary of the Karnataka unit.

• He has served as the Vice President of the Karnataka unit of the Youth Congress for one term. Later, he unsuccessfully contested for the post of president of the State unit of the Youth Congress against Rizwan Arshad.

• In 2016, he became the youngest minister to be sworn into Siddaramaiah’s cabinet.

• In 2011, Priyank Kharge’s sister 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 light of the allegations, she returned the land in question to the Karnataka State Judicial Department Employees House Building Co-operative Society (KSJDEHBCS) in 2011. ^[11]Moneycontrol

• Dr. B. R. Ambedkar School of Economics University, Bengaluru, which was established in 2017,  is Kharge’s brainchild.