India’s opposition Congress party elects new president

KIFI

Published October 19, 2022 4:06 AM

By KRUTIKA PATHI
Associated Press

NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s main opposition Congress party has elected Mallikarjun Kharge as its new president in a contest in which the Nehru-Gandhi family, which has led the party for more than two decades, did not compete. The party has struggled to regain support since being routed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party in 2014. Eighty-year-old Kharge, who was backed by the party’s top leaders, received more than 80% of the votes. His challenger, Shashi Tharoor, spent nearly 30 years at the United Nations before joining the party in 2009. Analysts say the Gandhi family’s decision to bring in a new leader ahead of key upcoming elections reflects the party’s need to shed its image as a family dynasty.

Article Topic Follows: AP National

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