The Congress' top brass met in Patna on Wednesday for the party's working committee meeting, aimed at finalising its strategy for the upcoming Bihar assembly elections and intensifying its criticism of the BJP over alleged "vote chori" (vote theft). The meeting was chaired by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge at Sadaqat Ashram, the party's Bihar headquarters.
Top Congress leaders, including Kharge, former party chief Rahul Gandhi, treasurer Ajay Maken, general secretaries KC Venugopal, and Sachin Pilot, Bihar Congress chief Rajesh Kumar, among others, participated in the meeting. Notably, it is an extended Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, with permanent and special invitees, the party's chief ministers, Pradesh Congress Committee presidents, and Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leaders participating.
What did Kharge say at CWC meet?
Addressing the CWC meeting, Kharge said that the party is holding the meeting at a time when the country is going through a very challenging period at both international and national levels. "Our problems at the international level are a result of 'diplomatic failure' of PM Narendra Modi and his govt," he said.
Taking a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump's friendship, the Congress chief said, "The very friends whom the PM boasts about as 'my friends' are today putting India in numerous troubles."
Speaking on the issue of vote theft, the Congress president said that serious concerns were being raised about the fairness and transparency of the Election Commission. He alleged that instead of addressing questions arising from revelations in various states, the Commission was pressuring the party by demanding affidavits from them.
"On the lines of Bihar, now a conspiracy is being hatched to cut the votes of lakhs of people across the country. Vote theft means theft of ration, pension, medicine, children's scholarship of Dalits, tribals, backward, most backward, minority, weak and poor. People have come out openly in support of Rahul Gandhi ji during 'Voter Rights Yatra'."
"Today our country is facing many problems. These problems are economic recession, unemployment, social polarisation and autonomous constitutional institutions are being weakened by targeting them," he added.
Congress chief Kharge launched a sharp attack on the BJP and the NDA ahead of the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections. He said the polls would mark the "beginning of the end of Modi government’s corrupt rule".
Kharge asserted that the people of Bihar were not interested in BJP’s politics of religious polarisation but wanted a politics rooted in development and welfare.
Taking aim at the ruling alliance, he noted that the internal strife within the NDA in Bihar was now clearly visible, and alleged that the BJP itself considered Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as a burden.
What's the focus of the CWC meeting?
According to the sources, a couple of resolutions are likely to be passed during the crucial meeting, keeping the upcoming Bihar polls in focus.
Deliberations are expected to centre on Bihar, including the party's campaign strategy, preparations for future elections, and intensifying attacks on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over "vote chori" (vote theft), the sources said.
The CWC is also expected to issue a strong statement on the "vote chori" issue and against the Election Commission's (EC) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar.
The meeting comes amid ongoing seat-sharing discussions among Mahagathbandhan allies, and just days after Rahul Gandhi's "Voter Adhikar Yatra" against "vote chori" and the SIR, which has energized the party's cadre in the state.
The meeting also comes days after Rahul Gandhi held his second press conference on "vote chori".
The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha has accused Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar of protecting those who "destroyed democracy". To buttress his allegation, he has cited data from a Karnataka Assembly constituency to claim that the votes of Congress supporters were being systematically deleted.
The EC has dubbed the allegations "incorrect and baseless".
Bihar Assembly Elections 2025
In the 2020 Bihar elections, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) contested 144 seats as part of the alliance and secured 75, emerging as the single-largest party. The Congress, which was given 70 seats, managed to win 19.
It is pertinent to mention that the Legislative Assembly election for all 243 constituencies in Bihar is scheduled to be held in October or November 2025. The previous assembly elections were held in October–November 2020. After the election, the National Democratic Alliance formed the state government, with Nitish Kumar becoming Chief Minister. Later, in August 2022, Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) snapped ties with the NDA and formed the government with RJD-led Mahagathbandhan. Again, in January 2024, Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) snapped ties with RJD-led Mahagathbandhan and again formed the government with the BJP-led NDA.
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