Leader of Opposition Mapanna Mallikarjun Kharge will be celebrating his 80th birthday on July 21. The Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, Kharge has held important posts in Union Government.
The former Union Minister of Railways and Minister of Labour and Employment, Kharge has been in politics for nearly five decades. The member of Indian National Congress was once the President of Karnataka Congress.
Born in Varawatti, Bidar district, Kharge has a Bachelor's degree from Government college in Kalaburagi and later got a law degree from Seth Shankarlal Lahoti Law College in town. He started his career as a juniour in office with Justice Shivaraj Patil.
On Kharge's birth anniversary, here's a lookback on his political endeavour.
Milestones of Mallikarjun Kharge's Political Career
Kharge entered politics as a student union leader while he was studying the Kalaburagi college when he was elected as General Secretary of students' body.
The influential leader of labour union Samyukta Majdoor Sangha, Kharge joined INC in 1969 and became President of the Kalaburagi City Congress Committee.
Mallikarjun Kharge contested Karnataka State Assembly elections in 1972 first from Gurmitkal constituency and won. He chaired important committees like Octroi Abolition Committee during his first tenure.
Kharge was consecutively elected in years 1972, 1978, 1983, 1985, 1989, 1994, 1999, 2004, 2008, 2009.
It was during his term in 1976 when he was Minister of State for Primary Education that 16,000 backlog in vacancies of SC/ST teachers was filled. Schools run by SC/ST managements received grants under grantin-aid code first time under his tenure.
Kharge was contesting elections for seventh time when he was first seen as frontrunner for post of Chief Minister of Karnataka. He became Minister for Hime in SM Krishna cabinet though. It wasparticularly trying time for the state as it late actor Rajkumar was kidnapped by Veerappan and Cauvery riots had broken out.
In the year 2009, he won for the tenth consecutive time when he won the general elections from Kalaburagi Parliamentary Constituency.
Kharge however lost in the 2019 general elections and was later elected as Leader of Opposition.
