CWC calls for Bharat Jodo 2.0; Nath blamed for MP poll loss

The Congress Working Committee on Thursday decided to speed up preparations for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections "both as a party in its own right and also as a member of the INDIA group", urged Rahul Gandhi to start an east-to-west Bharat Jodo Yatra, and dissected the recently concluded assembly polls during which former Madhya Pradesh unit chief Kamal Nath was heavily criticised.

- Saubhadra Chatterji

At the end of the four hourlong meeting of CWC, party general secretary KC Venugopal announced that Lok Sabha candidates, and screening and manifesto committees would be decided soon, and that the party will complete state-level reviews and hold state-level workers convention from January onwards.

"This meeting of the CWC expresses its firmest resolve to be fully prepared at the earliest to fight the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections both as a party in its own right and also as a member of the INDIA group. It reiterates the determination of the Indian National Congress to take all steps necessary to make the INDIA group an effective bulwark and force against the BJP and its allies," said the resolution. In the meeting, two senior leaders said on the condition of anonymity, the results in Madhya Pradesh -- where the Congress clocked its worst results in years -- were in focus, and at least two CWC members criticised Nath.

"They said, in the past few years, four general secretaries were changed in Madhya Pradesh but Kamal Nath continued to function on his own. He appointed all block chiefs and district chiefs and took all decisions alone," added a CWC member, requesting anonymity.