Kharge joins Rahul in ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ in Karnataka

The Congress presidential candidate Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday joined Rahul Gandhi and other leaders in the ongoing ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ in the district.

Kharge, who had served as the union minister and as the Congress leader in the Lok Sabha, also took part in the mega public meeting here to celebrate the yatra reaching the 1,000-km milestone.

He took part in the march for the first time today in his home state.

The Bharat Jodo Yatra entered Karnataka on September 30 and will make a final exit on October 20 after covering 511 km in 21 days. The veteran Congress leader is contesting the Congress presidential election and is pitted against senior party leader Shashi Tharoor.

The 80-year-old leader had been into the electoral politics since 1972.

Earned the reputation of ‘‘Solillada Sardara’ (invincible leader), Kharge was an MLA from 1972 to 2008 winning the assembly elections for a record 10 times before becoming Lok Sabha MP from 2009 to 2019.