The Congress Working Committee (CWC) held a landmark meeting in Patna on September 24, its first in Bihar since Independence, as the party sharpened its focus on the upcoming state assembly elections and mounted a fresh attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over alleged electoral malpractice.
"Vote Chori" emerged as a dominant motif of the party's poll strategy structure that took shape at the meeting, and with this, all focus has now shifted to the poll-bound state.
The extended session, which brought together permanent and special invitees alongside chief ministers, Pradesh Congress Committee presidents and Legislature Party leaders, began at Sadaqat Ashram in the morning. Party president Mallikarjun Kharge inaugurated the proceedings by unfurling the Congress flag at the state headquarters.
Senior figures, including Rahul Gandhi, treasurer Ajay Maken, general secretaries KC Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh and Sachin Pilot and Bihar unit chief Rajesh Kumar, were among those present.
The timing and venue of the meeting underscored the centrality of Bihar to the Congress’s immediate political plans. Assembly elections are expected in November, and sources said resolutions were likely to be passed to guide campaign strategy and set the tone for coalition talks with Mahagathbandhan allies.
The meeting follows Gandhi’s recent “Voter Adhikar Yatra” and successive press conferences, in which he alleged systematic deletion of Congress votes and accused the Election Commission (EC) of favouring the BJP. These interventions, party insiders said, have energised grassroots workers in the state and brought the issue of electoral fairness to the fore.
"Vote Chori"
The Congress has framed “vote chori” — or vote theft — as a central theme of its campaign. Gandhi, now Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, has directly accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of shielding those “destroying democracy.”
He recently cited examples from a Karnataka assembly constituency to argue that Congress votes were being deliberately removed from rolls.
The EC, for its part, dismissed the allegations as “incorrect and baseless.” It is conducting a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, a process the Congress claims is being misused to its disadvantage.
The CWC discussions also come as seat-sharing negotiations within the Mahagathbandhan coalition gather pace. Party leaders stressed that the meeting aimed to project unity, send a strong message on the integrity of elections and prepare for what could turn out to be a closely contested battle later this year.
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"Vote Chori" emerged as a dominant motif of the party's poll strategy structure that took shape at the meeting, and with this, all focus has now shifted to the poll-bound state.
The extended session, which brought together permanent and special invitees alongside chief ministers, Pradesh Congress Committee presidents and Legislature Party leaders, began at Sadaqat Ashram in the morning. Party president Mallikarjun Kharge inaugurated the proceedings by unfurling the Congress flag at the state headquarters.
Senior figures, including Rahul Gandhi, treasurer Ajay Maken, general secretaries KC Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh and Sachin Pilot and Bihar unit chief Rajesh Kumar, were among those present.
The timing and venue of the meeting underscored the centrality of Bihar to the Congress’s immediate political plans. Assembly elections are expected in November, and sources said resolutions were likely to be passed to guide campaign strategy and set the tone for coalition talks with Mahagathbandhan allies.
The meeting follows Gandhi’s recent “Voter Adhikar Yatra” and successive press conferences, in which he alleged systematic deletion of Congress votes and accused the Election Commission (EC) of favouring the BJP. These interventions, party insiders said, have energised grassroots workers in the state and brought the issue of electoral fairness to the fore.
"Vote Chori"
The Congress has framed “vote chori” — or vote theft — as a central theme of its campaign. Gandhi, now Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, has directly accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of shielding those “destroying democracy.”He recently cited examples from a Karnataka assembly constituency to argue that Congress votes were being deliberately removed from rolls.
The EC, for its part, dismissed the allegations as “incorrect and baseless.” It is conducting a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, a process the Congress claims is being misused to its disadvantage.
The CWC discussions also come as seat-sharing negotiations within the Mahagathbandhan coalition gather pace. Party leaders stressed that the meeting aimed to project unity, send a strong message on the integrity of elections and prepare for what could turn out to be a closely contested battle later this year.
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