Congress appoints Senior Observers for Bihar Assembly Elections 2025

Senior Observers Appointed

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has appointed the following leaders as AICC Senior Observers for the Bihar Assembly elections with immediate effect:

• Ashok Gehlot - Former Rajasthan Chief Minister
• Bhupesh Baghel - Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister
• Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury - Former Congress leader in Lok Sabha and ex-President of West Bengal Congress

The announcement was made by AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal in an official statement.

District-Level Organization

In addition to the three senior observers, Congress has appointed 41 district election observers across all districts of Bihar to strengthen grassroots coordination. These district observers include prominent leaders such as Avinash Pandey, Bhakt Charan Das, Ajay Rai, Anil Chaudhary, B.V. Srinivas, Vikrant Bhuria, Irfan Ansari, Rohit Chaudhary, and Anil Chopra.

The district observers will monitor electoral activities in their assigned areas, coordinate with local party workers, review candidate selection processes, and ensure effective campaign management.youtube

Strategic Significance

This appointment reflects Congress's serious commitment to the Bihar elections, with the party banking on the extensive administrative and electoral experience of these leaders. All three senior observers bring significant credentials:

• Ashok Gehlot and Bhupesh Baghel are experienced former Chief Ministers who have successfully managed state-level electoral campaigns
• Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury brings his experience as a former state party president and national-level leader

Electoral Context

The upcoming Bihar Assembly elections are expected to be held in October-November 2025, with the Election Commission likely to announce the schedule on October 6-7, 2025. The 243-member Bihar Legislative Assembly's current term expires on November 22, 2025.

The contest will primarily be between the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the opposition INDIA bloc spearheaded by the Rashtriya Janata Dal with Congress as a key ally. In the current assembly, NDA holds 131 seats while the INDIA bloc has 111 seats.

Party's Electoral Strategy

Congress is part of the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) in Bihar and is determined to unseat the ruling NDA government. The party's comprehensive approach includes:

• Deploying experienced leaders at the state level for strategic oversight
• Establishing district-wise monitoring systems
• Coordinating with alliance partners including RJD, CPI(ML), and other parties

The appointment of these observers comes as Congress intensifies its preparation for what is expected to be a fiercely contested election, with the party aiming to improve upon its 2020 performance when it won only 19 seats out of the 70 it contested.

This strategic organizational restructuring demonstrates Congress's commitment to mounting a strong challenge in Bihar, leveraging the administrative expertise and electoral experience of its senior leadership to coordinate campaign activities across the state.