Priyank Kharge, who has been inducted into the Siddaramaiah Cabinet as a Minister of State, has many similarities with his father M. Mallikarjun Kharge.
Mr. Mallikarjun Kharge was appointed a Minister of State for Primary Education in the D. Devaraj Urs Ministry in 1973 when he was a first-time MLA from Gurmitkal Assembly constituency. Mr. Priyank Kharge is also a first-time MLA.
The 38-year-old Congress leader, who is a diploma holder in computer science, was groomed in politics by his father, who is known for his meticulous planning and mentoring. Mr. Priyank Kharge entered politics as an activist of the National Student Union of India.
He was the vice-president of the Karnataka unit of the Youth Congress for one term. He unsuccessfully contested for the post of president of the State unit of the Youth Congress against Rizwan Arshad a couple of years ago.
Mr. Priyank Kharge lost the byelection to the Assembly from the Chittapur Assembly constituency in 2008-09. However, in the general elections in 2013, he won the seat by a huge margin.
