Lok Sabha polls 2024: 'I am 83,' says Mallikarjun Kharge on reports he may give elections a miss

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday quashed reports suggesting that senior party leaders are stepping away from contesting the Lok Sabha elections and said that if workers ask him to fight the polls, he may do so.

Recent media reports suggested that Congress veterans including Kharge himself are likely to avoid contesting the upcoming general polls. Reports also suggested that Kharge could nominate his son-in-law Radhakrishnan Doddamani from his home-turf Gulbarga. 

Radhakrishnan Doddamani is a businessman who also manages educational institutions and has maintained a low profile. Doddamani is reportedly popular among party workers and supporters in the Gurmitkal Assembly segment, which Kharge represented between 1972 and 2004. 

Commenting on senior leaders opting out of the poll fray, he said that it is wrong to suggest that the party is backing out. "I am 83 years old, you (journalists) retire at 65... So I am 83," the Congress president was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. 

Kharge, however, indicated he might not enter the electoral contest this time due to age being a concern. The veteran politician won from Gulbarga in 2009 and 2014 but lost in the 2019 general elections. 

When asked on whether he will fight the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from his home-turf Gulbarga, he said, "If given a chance, everyone goes and tells our party workers (that I should fight)... if they say then I will definitely fight. Look, sometimes we are at the back, sometimes we are at the forefront. We also have a list of 10 people asking for the same seat."

Kharge is likely to take a final decision on whether he will contest the polls or not after consulting top Congress leaders including Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. He is also likely to take a decision on whether Doddamani could be fielded from Gulbarga or not, PTI reported citing party sources. 

Meanwhile, Karnataka cabinet minister Priyank Kharge is also not interested in contesting the Lok Sabha elections. Priyank Kharge represents the Chittapur constituency in the Gulbarga segment.