Congress holds CWC in Patna, deliberations to focus on Bihar polls, 'vote chori'

The Congress' top brass met in Patna on Wednesday, for the party's first working committee meeting in Bihar in the post-Independence era, to deliberate on the assembly polls strategy and ramp up its attack against the BJP over alleged "vote chori".

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.

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

The CWC meeting began around 10:30 am at Sadaqat Ashram here. This is the first time in the post-Independence era that the Congress is holding a meeting of its top-decision making body in Bihar, according to party leaders.

Ahead of the meeting, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge unfurled the party flag at the Congress' state headquarters here.

Top Congress leaders, including Kharge, former party chief Rahul Gandhi, treasurer Ajay Maken, general secretaries KC Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh and Sachin Pilot, Bihar Congress chief Rajesh Kumar, among others, participated in the meeting.

The focus of the deliberations is likely to be on Bihar, the party's campaign strategy, future polls and ramping up the attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over "vote chori" (vote theft), the 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 (EC) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar.

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

The meeting also comes days after Gandhi held its 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".

The Assembly polls in the state are likely to be held in November.