After winning the Congress internal elections and being declared the next president of the party, Mallikarjun Kharge requested an appointment with Sonia Gandhi at her 10, Janpath home. But Sonia decided that given the occasion, it really should be the other way round. So, from 10 Janpath, the meeting shifted to 10 Rajaji Marg, which is Kharge’s home.
Sonia Gandhi’s visit to Kharge’s home marks a break from the age-old convention in the Congress as the Congress leadership has rarely visited any party leader’s home with former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh being an exception. In 2015, Sonia Gandhi led a Congress march from the party office to Manmohan Singh’s home in a show of solidary after the two-time Prime Minister was called in a coal scam case.
The party hopes to send out a new message to members that Kharge is the new chief, with Sonia Gandhi’s 10 minute drive to Kharge’s home. Earlier, Rahul Gandhi stressed that like every Congress member, he would report to Kharge-ji. Rahul Gandhi said, “The new president will decide my role in the party.”
The elections where Kharge took on Thiruvananthapuram MP Shahi Tharoor were held on the 17th of this month. Kharge won over 6,000 votes. He will succeed outgoing Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi, who assumed the post after the resignation of Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha poll in 2019.