With the Bihar Assembly elections approaching, the Congress has stepped up its preparations by appointing senior leaders Ashok Gehlot, Bhupesh Baghel, and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury as key observers for the poll-bound state.
Announcing the appointments on Saturday, AICC general secretary K.C. Venugopal said in a statement: “Hon'ble Congress president (Mallikarjun Kharge) has appointed the following leaders as AICC senior observers for the upcoming Assembly elections in Bihar with immediate effect — Ashok Gehlot, Bhupesh Baghel and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.”
Venugopal added that the party has also cleared a proposal to appoint district-level observers to strengthen grassroots coordination. So in total, 41 leaders from across India have been assigned responsibilities across all districts of Bihar to oversee preparations and campaign activities.
The Bihar polls, expected later this year, will likely witness a direct face-off between the ruling NDA, comprising the BJP, JD(U), and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), and the Opposition INDIA bloc, led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) with the Congress and Left parties as allies. The NDA currently commands a majority in the 243-member Assembly, holding 131 seats, while the INDIA bloc accounts for 111 seats.
AICC appointed 19 district election observers
The AICC also announced the names of 19 district election observers, including Avinash Pandey, Bhakt Charan Das, Ajay Rai, Anil Chaudhary, B.V. Srinivas, Vikrant Bhuria, Irfan Ansari, Rohit Chaudhary, and Anil Chopra.
Gehlot, speaking about the party’s observer network, said the process had already begun in various states and underscored the need for transparency and unity. “It is our duty to create an environment where observers can work freely, without any influence or pressure. The more transparent and unbiased this process remains, the stronger the outcome will be. This campaign is not just about choosing leaders; it is about rebuilding trust and unity within the party,” he said, per IANS.
"Under this campaign, for the first time, senior leaders of the party are being appointed as observers to oversee the process of selecting district presidents. These observers will travel to each district and block to collect feedback from grassroots workers, local leaders, and stakeholders across the organisation. This bottom-up approach ensures that the voices of every party worker are heard, respected, and reflected in the final selection of district-level leadership," the former Rajasthan Chief Minister urged.
