- Party
- Indian National Congress (INC)
- Born
- 21 July 1942, Varawatti, Bidar district, Karnataka
- Education (declared)
- LLB, SSL Law College, Gulbarga, Karnataka University (1967)
- In current post since
- 16 February 2021
- Seat
- Rajya Sabha, Karnataka
Mapanna Mallikarjun Kharge was born in 1942 in Varawatti, Bidar district, and trained as a lawyer in Gulbarga. He won the Gurmitkal assembly seat in 1972, served in several Karnataka ministries and led the state Congress from 2005 to 2008.
Delhi
He won the Gulbarga Lok Sabha seat in 2009 and served as Union Labour Minister and then Railways Minister. He lost the seat in 2019 to Umesh G. Jadhav. The next year he was elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka, and in February 2021 he became Leader of the Opposition there. He took over as Congress president on 26 October 2022 and became chairman of the INDIA bloc in January 2024. In June 2026 he was returned unopposed to the Rajya Sabha.
Cases and controversy
In April 2026, campaigning in Chennai for the Tamil Nadu election, he called Prime Minister Narendra Modi a "terrorist". BJP leaders condemned the remark, and Kharge later said he meant that Modi was "terrorising" political parties.
His 2026 affidavit declares five pending cases, against none in 2020. Three are FIRs registered in Assam in 2026, one is a 2025 case in a Lucknow court and one is a 2019 case in Morigaon, Assam. Charges have not been framed in any of them. He declares assets of about Rs 38.8 crore.
Career at a glance
- 1972Elected MLA for Gurmitkal
- 2009Wins Gulbarga Lok Sabha seat; Union Labour Minister, then Railways Minister
- 2019Loses Gulbarga to Umesh G. Jadhav
- Jun 2020Elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha
- Feb 2021Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha
- Oct 2022Congress president
- Jan 2024Chairman of the INDIA bloc
- Jun 2026Re-elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha
Cases and allegations
An allegation, FIR or chargesheet is not proof of guilt. Only a court can convict, and convictions can be overturned on appeal. Status is as last checked on 2 Nov 2026.
Three FIRs registered in 2026 at Nilambazar and Patharkandi in Sribhumi and at Basistha in Guwahati, under BNS sections including 196 and 353 on promoting enmity and statements causing public mischief, and in one case Representation of the People Act sections. No court finding. Source
A case before the MP/MLA court in Lucknow under BNS section 210(c). No court finding. Source
A case under IPC 153A, 500 and 506. No court finding. Source
Campaigning in Chennai in April 2026, he called Narendra Modi a "terrorist". The BJP demanded an apology. He later said he meant Modi was "terrorising" political parties and did not mean it literally. Source
The record card
Facts only, each from a public record. This is not a rating. Affidavit figures are the leader's own sworn declarations at the time of filing.
| Declared criminal cases | 5Rajya Sabha 2026 affidavit, Karnataka; all pending, charges not framed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Convictions | None declared2026 affidavit | Source |
| Declared assets | Rs 38.76 crore2026; liabilities of Rs 27.5 lakh | Source |
| Declared assets, 2020 | Rs 20.12 croreRajya Sabha 2020 affidavit; no criminal cases declared then | Source |
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Sources
Photo: Ministry of Railways, GODL-India, via Wikimedia Commons.
This profile is built only from public records and attributed reports; read how we make these profiles. If anything here is wrong or out of date, or if you are Mallikarjun Kharge's office and want to respond, write to devv@bharatverseh.com. Every correction is listed in our corrections log.