Lok Sabha Polls: Mallikarjun Kharge's Son-in-Law Emerges As Leading Contender For Congress Ticket In Gulbarga

In a latest development, Mallikarjun Kharge's son-in-law, Radhakrishna Doddamani, has emerged as the leading candidate for the Congress ticket to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Gulbarga, the home turf of the party's president.

Kharge, an 81-year-old veteran, had won from Gulbarga (Kalaburagi) twice but faced defeat in the 2019 polls.

With Kharge's term in the Rajya Sabha ongoing and his son, Priyank Kharge, not expressing interest in contesting, Doddamani, a businessman and educational institution manager, has risen as a potential candidate.

Speaking on Kharge's tenure, and confirming that the party chief was not in the favour of contesting, a party leader said, "The Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha's hands are full. In addition to managing party affairs at the national level, he has to coordinate with INDI bloc partners. Also, he has four more years of his term left in Rajya Sabha."

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Meanwhile, despite initial reluctance, Doddamani has been urged to prepare for candidacy.

However, according to news agency PTI, sources within the party said Mallikarjun Kharge will take a final call on whether to contest the polls in consultation with top leaders, including Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

He would also take a final call on whether Doddamani would be the candidate from Gulbarga.

Born in Kalaburagi, Doddamani has been actively involved in managing Kharge's electoral campaigns and enjoys popularity among party workers and supporters.

It's also important to note that Gulbarga in Karnataka for long has been a bastion of the Congress.

Before 2019, it had lost its hold over the constituency only in 1996 and 1998 Lok Sabha polls when the Janata Dal and BJP had won the seat, respectively.

Also, Gulbarga has eight assembly seats of which Congress currently holds six, and BJP and JD(S) one each.

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