Bengaluru, Nov 6 (PTI) Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday reached the city to a grand welcome accorded by party leaders and workers. This is Kharge"s maiden visit to Bengaluru since he assumed charge as the Congress president. Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Congress state president D K Shivakumar and party MLAs and office bearers received the newly elected national president at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru. A felicitation ceremony-- "Sarvodaya Samavesha" has been organised at the Bengaluru Palace ground today, where AICC general secretary and Karnataka party in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala will also be present. It will be the grand old party"s show of strength in the poll-bound Karnataka, where the assembly elections are due in less than six months, party sources said. A Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka and a former union minister, Kharge was elected as the Congress president on October 19 after defeating rival Shashi Tharoor.80-year-old Kharge, a Gandhi family loyalist, hails from Kalaburagi in Karnataka.He is the first Congress president in the last 24 years from the non-Gandhi family. He is the second AICC president from Karnataka, the first one being Nijalingappa. He is also the second Dalit Congress president after Jagjivan Ram. PTI GMS ROH KH KH