Patna: The Congress party, buoyed by the momentum of its recent Voter Adhikar Yatra, is preparing for what leaders describe as a historic political reset in Bihar. On September 24, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) will convene in Patna for the first time in 84 years, the last such meeting having taken place in 1940.
Party strategists view the decision as more than symbolic. “Bihar has now become the centre of national politics. We are starting the second freedom struggle from here,” said Krishna Allavaru, Congress in-charge for Bihar, as preparations intensified.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, and the party’s top brass are expected to attend, alongside the chief ministers of Congress-ruled states. Senior leaders say the meeting will focus on unemployment, inflation, women’s safety, and rising crime—issues they hope will resonate with Bihar’s electorate.
Allavaru also sharpened the party’s attack on the ruling BJP, accusing Narendra Modi of “stealing votes,” comparing the prime minister to “a student who doesn’t work hard but instead wants to pass exams by cheating.”
Within the INDIA alliance, he maintained, seat-sharing discussions were “positive” and a “workable formula” would be finalised soon. By contrast, he described the NDA bloc as “disorganised.”
Analysts suggest that the Patna meeting is designed to project Congress as a serious contender in Bihar, where it has long struggled to regain ground since its collapse in the 1990s. The choice of venue, just months before the assembly elections, is seen as a bid to galvanise party workers and signal that Bihar could once again play a pivotal role in shaping national politics.
