As veteran Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge formally took over as Congress president on Wednesday, all the members of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), General Secretaries of All India Congress Committee and incharges submitted their resignations to the newly elected party head.

“All the CWC Members, AICC General Secretaries and Incharges have tendered their resignation to Congress President,” tweeted K C Venugopal.

According to reports, Kharge has been given free hand to choose his new CWC Members, AICC General Secretaries and Incharges.

Kharge officially took charge as the party president at the All India Congress Committee headquarters in the national capital. In his maiden speech said, Kharge also took jibe on the current government and alleged that the “New India was without jobs, poverty is large and farmers are being crushed under wheels. The government’s effort is to make the country opposition less, but the Congress will fight the government for the people.”

He asserted that as per the Udaipur declaration, the party posts will be filled and there will be a social advisory committee with special emphasis on SC, ST and OBC.

Thanking Sonia Gandhi for her efforts to strengthen the Congress as the party president, Kharge highlighted that he started his career as a block Congress committee worker in 1969 and now is the party president.

Congress Central Election Authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry handed over the certificate of election to the top post.

“I hope other parties draw a lesson from the Congress and hold polls for the presidency by secret ballot,” said Mistry.

Former party president Sonia Gandhi, MP Rahul Gandhi and party’s general secretary, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra along with other senior leaders and MPs were present at the occasion.

Earlier, Kharge met former prime minister Manmohan Singh at his home yesterday. This morning, he paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at his memorial, Rajghat. He also reached memorials of former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, besides former deputy PM Jagjivan Ram.

Kharge, who was elected the first Congress chief outside the Nehru-Gandhi family in 24 years, has his task cut out as the party faces various electoral and organisational challenges.

However, Kharge’s election as the new party chief, will seek to blunt the BJP’s attack on Congress over “family-oriented politics”.