New Delhi: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge is burning the midnight oil resolving infighting in the state units, making appointments, reviewing poll preparations, approving candidates and forging opposition unity for the 2024 electoral battle all at the same time. Last year, when former party chief Rahul Gandhi withdrew from the presidential race and Kharge took over as the new Congress President in October, the party faced criticism for having elected an 80-year-old as its boss at a time when the party needed a younger and more energetic person to steer the party ahead of general elections in 2024.
Party insiders said Kharge has been working long hours since taking over as party chief to shoulder his responsibilities and the arrangement has turned out to be a perfect one with the veteran managing the organisation and the Gandhis providing the ideological compass to the grand old party. “He multitasks and travels across the country to campaign for the party. He is very active and is trying to give that energy to the party. The party needed a President like Kharge,” AICC general secretary Manish Chatrath told ETV Bharat.
“The Gandhis are also important in the Congress. Rahul Gandhi is our national leader and Soniaji’s advice is valuable. The Gandhi-Kharge combo is working fine for the party,” he said. According to Gurdeep Singh Sappal, attached to the Congress chief’s office, Kharge attended a series of meetings from 9 am to 2 am on Thursday, but showed no signs of stress.
Also read: To revive Cong fortunes, Kharge to address rallies in Telangana, Bengaluru, Kolar
Party insiders said on Thursday Kharge was briefed by AICC in-charge SS Randhawa on the ongoing power tussle between Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot, reviewed poll preparations for Karnataka, chaired a CEC session to clear pending names for the May 10 Karnataka polls, reviewed his visits to Telangana and Kolar and met NCP leader Sharad Pawar to push opposition unity for the 2024 national polls.
The meeting with Pawar came a day after Kharge met JD-U leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and deputy chief minister and RJD leader Tejaswi Yadav, along with Rahul Gandhi, to discuss the blueprint for larger opposition unity the Congress has in mind. The meetings with key opposition leaders are a precursor to a meeting of opposition leaders that Kharge is planning to hold in New Delhi by month's end to announce the joint strategy for 2024.
Party insiders averred that Rahul’s presence at the meeting with Pawar was key as the NCP leader had made a statement recently, which was being seen as the Maratha leader breaking ranks with the opposition unity. Though Kharge had led 20 parties during the recently concluded budget session of Parliament demanding a JPC probe into the Adani-Hindenburg issue, Pawar had startled the Congress managers by saying that “Adani was being targeted.”
Amid a series of meetings, Kharge will fly to Telangana on Friday to address a rally in Mancherial, reach Bengaluru on Saturday, and attend a Rahul Gandhi rally at Kolar on Sunday. In Kharge, the party has got a leader, who knows the organisation, and also how to fight polls. Besides, he can articulate party ideology well, something that made the Gandhis go for him, said party insiders.
