Congress'€™ Patna CWC to focus on Bihar polls campaign, 'vote chori'

Patna, Sep 23 (PTI) As it gets battle-ready for the Bihar assembly polls, the Congress will hold a meeting of its working committee here on Wednesday for the first time in the state in post-independence era to brainstorm on its election strategy and ramping up its attack against the BJP on alleged "vote chori".

It would be an extended Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, with permanent and special invitees, party's chief ministers, Pradesh Congress Committee presidents and Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leaders participating.

Sources said a couple of resolutions are expected to be passed at the crucial meeting with an eye on the upcoming assembly polls.

The CWC meeting will be held at 10 am at Sadaqat Ashram here. This is the first time in the post-independence era that the party is holding a meeting of its top-decision making body in Bihar, according to party leaders.

All top leaders of the party, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi, would be present at the meeting.

The focus is likely to be on Bihar, the party's campaign strategy, future polls and ramping up the attack on the BJP over alleged "vote chori", sources said.

They said a strong message will be sent out by the CWC on the "vote chori" issue and against the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar.

The meeting comes amid seat-sharing talks between Mahagathbandhan allies and just days after Rahul Gandhi's 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' against alleged "vote chori" and the SIR of electoral rolls that enthused the party's rank and file in the state.

The meeting also comes days after Gandhi held its second press conference on alleged "vote chori", stepping up his attack on the issue.

Gandhi had accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of protecting those who "destroyed democracy". To buttress his allegation, he had cited data from a Karnataka assembly constituency to claim that votes of Congress supporters were being systematically deleted.

The Election Commission dubbed the allegations "incorrect and baseless".

During a press conference here on Monday, AICC Bihar in-charge Krishna Allavaru asserted that Congress was fighting "the second war of Independence" in Bihar, a reason why the meeting has been scheduled in the state.

The Congress leader alleged that the ruling BJP at the Centre was involved in "vote theft", and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was "like a student who does not study hard, but takes recourse to unfair means for doing well in examinations".

Asserting that Bihar had become "the centre of national politics", Allavaru said, "We are fighting the second war of Independence in the state, a reason why the CWC meeting is being held here." In reply to another query, he said talks on seat-sharing are being held on a positive note in the INDIA bloc.

"We will soon come out with a viable formula. On the other hand, we find the BJP-led NDA in disarray," the Allavaru had said.

On whether RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav will be named as the chief ministerial candidate of the INDIA bloc with a stamp of approval from the Congress, Allavaru had said, "At an appropriate time, all alliance partners will sit together and decide".

Bihar Congress president Rajesh Kumar has hailed the upcoming CWC meeting as a historic event, pointing out that this was the first time such a meeting was taking place in Bihar in the post-independence era.

"It is a historic moment for us that Sadaqat Ashram, where people like Mahatma Gandhi, Rajendra Prasad and Jawaharlal Nehru have held deliberations, is getting a chance to host the CWC meeting," he said.

Bihar polls are likely to take place around November this year. PTI ASK DV DV