The Congress party is gearing up for a politically significant moment in Bihar, with its extended Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting scheduled to take place in Patna on Wednesday. This gathering holds historic importance, as it will be the first such CWC meeting in the state since 1940, underscoring its symbolic weight. The venue, Sadaqat Ashram, carries immense historical resonance as it was once a key hub during India’s Independence movement. Leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Rajendra Prasad, and Jawaharlal Nehru had strategized here during the freedom struggle, with the Champaran Satyagraha serving as a turning point. By returning to this location, the Congress seeks to draw a parallel between past struggles for independence and its current political battle against the ruling government.
The meeting is being attended by party president Mallikarjun Kharge, senior leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, and nearly 170 members of the CWC. It is being positioned as a launchpad to replicate the success the party enjoyed in Telangana in 2023, where a similar extended CWC meeting and subsequent rally helped galvanize support and led to a decisive victory against the Bharat Rashtra Samithi. In Bihar, Congress leaders hope to spark comparable momentum, especially as the state prepares for its crucial Assembly elections in October or November.
A key agenda for the CWC in Patna is addressing the “vote chori” issue, with Congress leaders planning to strongly oppose the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The party has accused the ruling establishment of engaging in large-scale voter theft, a charge it has amplified through Rahul Gandhi’s 16-day ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra.’ That march, covering 1,300 kilometers and 25 districts, is expected to be acknowledged and praised by the CWC as an example of the Congress’s grassroots mobilization. To maintain momentum, the party is also launching the ‘Ghar Ghar Adhikar Abhiyan’ and organizing press conferences in at least 20 districts to bring voter rights issues to the forefront.
Beyond electoral rolls, the Patna meeting will also delve into national issues that the Congress believes resonate strongly with the electorate, such as rising inflation, growing unemployment, increasing violence against women, and what it describes as the government’s diplomatic failures. Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal has already framed the gathering as a battle between two contrasting political visions: one of hope, justice, and development, and the other of hatred, violence, and constitutional erosion.
Bihar’s Congress leadership has also invoked historical memory to strengthen the meeting’s narrative. State unit chief Rajesh Ram recalled that in 1921, freedom fighter Maulana Mazharul Haq donated the land for Sadaqat Ashram, further linking the site to India’s legacy of sacrifice and struggle. Leaders have emphasized that today’s CWC is similarly a fight to safeguard democratic rights and institutions. Bihar Congress in-charge Krishna Allavaru even described it as a modern-day struggle for independence, positioning the Congress as the defender of people’s rights in the face of what it calls authoritarian governance.
The meeting comes at a critical juncture for the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) in Bihar, which is currently engaged in seat-sharing talks ahead of the polls. The alliance, which includes the Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), and Left parties, came close to power in the 2020 Assembly elections but fell short of a majority. Analysts at the time blamed the Congress’s poor strike rate for weakening the alliance’s overall performance. This has made Congress’s performance in the upcoming election even more crucial for the survival and success of the opposition bloc.
As Bihar braces for elections in its 243-member Assembly, the Congress is betting heavily on the symbolism, history, and messaging of the Patna CWC to energize its cadre and reassure voters. Election dates are expected to be announced in early October after the Chief Election Commissioner visits the state, setting the stage for a fierce contest between the Nitish Kumar-led NDA and the Mahagathbandhan. For Congress, this meeting represents not just a return to a historic site but also a renewed attempt to establish itself as a central player in Bihar’s political landscape.
