Modi wishes Mallikarjun Kharge fruitful tenure as Cong president

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on his election as party president on Wednesday and wished him a fruitful tenure.

''My best wishes to Shri Mallikarjun Kharge Ji for his new responsibility as President of @INCIndia. May he have a fruitful tenure ahead,'' Modi tweeted. Kharge was elected Congress president, defeating Shashi Tharoor in an electoral contest, the sixth in the party's 137-year-old history.

The Karnataka leader will formally take over as the party's president on October 26. He will be the first party president from outside the Gandhi family in 24 years.