Congress steps up efforts to strengthen party in poll-bound States like Assam, Kerala and Bihar

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge with Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and General Secretary (Organization) KC Venugopal. File
| Photo Credit: ANI

After a series of defeats in the recent Assembly elections, the Congress has stepped up its efforts to strengthen the organisation in States where polls are scheduled in the next one year.

But in several States, the party will have to maintain a fine balance between building a strong organisation on the ground and meeting the expectations of its partners

“I want to talk to you about the most important thing of accountability. You all will be held accountable for revamping the organisations in States and for all future election results,” Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge told at a meeting of All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charges and general secretaries on February 19.

Since then, Mr. Kharge, along with senior leaders Rahul Gandhi and K.C. Venugopal, has met the top leaders of Assam and Kerala, where Assembly polls are due in early part of 2026, to discuss about strengthening the organisation.

Multiple trips

Bihar, where elections will be held later this year, is another focus State. The newly appointed AICC in-charge, Krishna Allavuru, has made multiple trips to the State in the last 10 days in a bid to enthuse the party workers and revive the organisation on the ground.

Youth Congress chief Uday Bhanu Chhib, under Mr. Allavuru’s directions, also took out a motorcycle rally and parivartan yatra in Bihar’s Muzzafarpur.

However, asked about how many Assembly seats the Congress would like to contest in Bihar, Mr. Allavuru sidestepped the question by saying talks had not begun.

There is growing pressure from local leaders that the party should demand a respectable number of seats from the RJD.

Congress Working Committee member Tariq Anwar took to social media platform X to state that the party should clearly articulate its position on alliance.

“The priority should be to make our organisation strong and our new in-charge has hit the ground running in that direction,” Congress veteran Kishore Jha said, adding, “We should get to contest at least in 100 seats”.

Though the Congress was blamed for pulling down the RJD-led alliance during the 2020 Assembly elections by winning only 19 of the 70 seats it contested on, party leaders argue their strike rate was better than the RJD in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

“How can our party grow or become a serious player if we are given 40-50 seats out of the 243 seats. In such a scenario, ground level workers leave and join a party where there is an opportunity to grow. It is better to go it alone if we are not treated with respect,” Mr. Jha says.

However, the situation is quite the opposite in States like Kerala and Assam, where the Congress leads the Opposition alliance. During their recent meeting with Assam leaders, the Congress left the question of alliance to the State level leaders.

“The high command conveyed quite clearly that it will go by the suggestion of the Pradesh Congress Committee on the question of alliance and seat sharing,” Leader of the Opposition in Assam Debabrata Saikia said.