Bengaluru, 12 June

All India Congress Committee (AICC) chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday thanked the Congress party and the people of Karnataka on his election to the Rajya Sabha from the state, pointing out that this was the 13th election in his political life. He particularly thanked Sonia Gandhi, saying she has consistently provided him with opportunities to serve the people.

This will be the second Rajya Sabha term for the 83-year-old veteran leader.

Kharge also targeted the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Congress candidate’s nomination getting rejected in Madhya Pradesh, calling the action “illegal, immoral and anti-democratic.”

He alleged that Modi is purposely doing this as part of a conspiracy to “finish” the Congress party.

Alongside Kharge, the other newly elected members are AICC secretary Mansoor Ali Khan, Congress’s media and publicity department chairperson Pawan Khera and BJP’s M Nagaraja. The four were elected uncontested to the four available seats after a fifth independent candidate's nomination was rejected.