Ahmedabad, March 27 (IANS) The Gujarat Congress is set for a major restructuring as district and city presidents of the party will travel to New Delhi on April 3 for crucial discussions with the party’s high command.
The visit follows Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s recent Gujarat tour, where he signaled a shake-up within the state unit to strengthen the party’s prospects ahead of key elections.
A total of 33 district and eight city presidents will participate in the strategy meeting at Gandhi Bhavan in Delhi.
The discussions will primarily focus on rebuilding the party’s grassroots network ahead of next year’s local body elections and decentralising power within the state unit, a demand that has been gaining traction among party workers.
The initiative is part of a nationwide Congress revamp process, involving 700 district presidents across India in a three-phase engagement.
Gujarat’s leadership will engage with senior Congress figures to finalise strategies aimed at improving the party’s performance in the state, where it has struggled against the BJP’s dominance for over two decades.
Rahul Gandhi’s March 8 address in Ahmedabad served as a wake-up call for Gujarat Congress leaders. Speaking at a workers’ meeting, he accused party members of working covertly for the BJP.
“There are two types of people in Congress – those who are genuinely committed to the party’s ideology and those who, despite being part of Congress, act in the interest of the BJP,” Rahul Gandhi stated, making it clear that such internal sabotage was a key factor in the party’s poor electoral performances.
He further insisted that removing leaders acting as the BJP’s ‘B team’ was necessary to revive Congress in Gujarat.
Rahul Gandhi hinted at a purge within the state unit, stating that 20 to 40 leaders may need to be expelled to ensure Congress regains its ideological integrity.
He also acknowledged that Congress had failed to effectively connect with the public in Gujarat, attributing this to a divided leadership.
“One section of our leadership understands and respects the people of Gujarat, while the other is detached and compromised,” he said.
He emphasised that winning elections should not come at the cost of the party’s values.
“What truly matters is ensuring Congress remains under the leadership of those who uphold its core principles,” he declared.
Adding to the party’s renewed focus on Gujarat, the Congress high command has scheduled its national convention in Ahmedabad on April 8-9. The event will see senior leaders, national strategists, and regional representatives come together to chalk out a roadmap for Congress’s revival in the state.
During the convention, discussions will focus on formulating a mass outreach strategy to counter the BJP’s influence, empowering local leadership to make autonomous decisions, strengthening booth-level committees to improve election performance, and addressing factionalism within the Gujarat Congress.
Despite decades of electoral setbacks, Congress still holds a loyal voter base in rural Gujarat, especially among farmers, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and minority communities.
However, internal conflicts, a lack of strong leadership, and a weak cadre system have allowed the BJP to maintain an iron grip over the state’s politics.
Political analysts believe that the upcoming Delhi meeting and the national convention in Ahmedabad will be crucial in determining Congress’s future in Gujarat.
With local body elections approaching in 2026 and the 2027 Gujarat Assembly elections on the horizon, the Congress party’s ability to implement these changes swiftly will determine whether it can pose a serious challenge to the BJP or remain a secondary force in the state’s politics.
–IANS
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