The Congress is all set to host the All India Convention in Gujarat for the first time in 64 years. Top party leaders are convening for a Working Committee meeting today, which is being attended by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, CPP Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi. Tomorrow, over 3,000 Congress workers from across the country will gather in Ahmedabad to discuss strategies and the party’s future direction.
The Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting is being held at the Sardar Patel Memorial in Shahibaug, with over 159 members in attendance.
The AICC convention being held in Gujarat at this juncture is significant, as Gujarat is widely regarded as the BJP’s model state — often used as a laboratory for their socio-political experiments.
Six party leaders from Gujarat — Shaktisinh Gohil, Jagdish Thakor, Lalji Desai, Dr. Amee Yagnik, Madhusudan Mistry, and Amit Chavda — are participating in the CWC meeting.
A prayer meeting is scheduled to take place at the Sabarmati Ashram in the evening, followed by a cultural programme at the Sabarmati Riverfront.
Earlier in the day, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and other leaders received a rousing welcome at the Sardar Patel International Airport. Cultural troupes performed along the route from the airport to the meeting venue.
The Congress is expected to deliberate on ways to regain its lost ground across several regions of the country. Pawan Khera, chairman of the party’s media and publicity department, said that Congress will fight against the challenges faced by the middle class, business community, and minorities. He also alleged that there is growing pressure on the media and that democracy is being systematically undermined in India. “This struggle will end soon,” Khera stated.
The AICC convention is being held in Gujarat after 64 years — the last such event took place in Bhavnagar in 1961. This convention coincides with the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and also marks 100 years since Mahatma Gandhi became president of the Congress.
Organising the event has not been easy for the Congress in Gujarat, a state ruled by the BJP for over three decades. Party sources claim that they were denied permission at at least two venues for holding the convention.
NSUI leaders and workers have taken on the responsibility of assisting delegates attending the CWC meeting and AICC session. Leaders and participants have been accommodated in various hotels across the city.
The Gujarat Congress is hopeful that the two-day programme will inject much-needed enthusiasm into its cadre. The party performed poorly in the 2022 Assembly elections and its performance in the recent local body elections was also disappointing. Of the 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat, Congress secured only one, and in the 182-member Assembly, it won just 12 seats.
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