First meeting of new CWC; discussions on assembly road map, LS polls

Hyderabad: At the inaugural meeting of the new CWC on Saturday, leading Congress leaders deliberated on developing a thorough road map to guarantee the party's triumph in the next assembly elections in five states and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The key Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting is being held in Telangana's capital as a way for the party to demonstrate that it will make no concessions in its efforts to overthrow the BRS administration in the state that is set to go to the polls.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chiefs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel, Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and general secretaries K C Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh, among others, were present at the meeting.

The CWC meeting began around 3 p.m., soon after the unfurling of the party flag at the Taj Krishna hotel venue here.

Before the start of the CWC meeting, the first in many years held outside Delhi, Congress chief Kharge said his party has fought for and ushered in democracy, social justice, progress and equality in the country and will continue to fight to preserve national integrity and unity in diversity.

“In consonance with our long cherished philosophy, the Congress Working Committee will craft a comprehensive road map to lead the party towards victory and strengthen the future of our nation and her people,” he said in his message.

In his post on X, Kharge also shared former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi’s message.

“We had made a promise to the people of Telangana. We have fulfilled that promise,” Sonia Gandhi said, referring to the creation of the state of Telangana following the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in 2014.

She said the Congress has always stood by the aspirations of the people of Telangana.

“Now, it’s time to lead the state into a new era of progress and prosperity. The Congress Working Committee stands ready to write a new chapter of development with dignity for all people of Telangana and our nation,” she said.

This will be the first CWC meeting after he took over as the party president in October last year.

“The Congress is dedicated to raising the concerns of the common people, and striving to provide them with a government that upholds their rights and aspirations,” Rahul Gandhi said in a Facebook post before the meeting.

With PTI inputs