Mallikarjun Kharge has won the first Congress party presidential election in over two decades with 7,897 votes, while Shashi Tharoor managed 1,072 votes.

The Congress party presidential election was held on October 17. Over 9,000 Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) delegates voted. 

"Hearty congratulations to Shri @kharge ji on behalf of Congress family on being elected as National President," the Congress party tweeted in Hindi.

Shashi Tharoor also took to Twitter to congratulate Kharge on his victory.

"It is a great honour & a huge responsibility to be President of @INCIndia & I wish @Kharge ji all success in that task. It was a privilege to have received the support of over a thousand colleagues,& to carry the hopes & aspirations of so many well-wishers of Congress across India," Tharoor tweeted.

The Congress presidential election was held to elect a non-Gandhi president after 22 years. Polling for a non-Gandhi president was held on Monday, three years after Rahul Gandhi resigned as the party president after the Congress party was defeated for the second straight term in the 2019 elections.