The meeting was attended by Congress general secretaries, state in-charges and Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) presidents from states where appointments of District Congress Committee (DCC) presidents have already been completed. Chhattisgarh was represented by former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel and state Congress president Deepak Baij.
According to party leaders present at the meeting, Congress has so far appointed 525 new DCC presidents across 14 states as part of the SSA. In six additional states, the process has been formally announced and is expected to be completed in the coming weeks. The leadership described the campaign as a crucial step towards rebuilding the party organisation from the bottom up.
Clear timelines were laid down for the next phase of restructuring. PCC units were directed to complete the formation of DCC committees within 15 days, block-level committees within 30 days, and mandal, gram panchayat and booth-level committees within 60 days. The leadership also stressed the need to ensure adequate representation of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and minorities at every organisational tier.
The meeting, held at Indira Bhawan, also deliberated on rolling out structured training programmes under the SSA framework. These programmes are expected to focus on ideological orientation, organisational management and grassroots mobilisation for district and block-level office bearers.
Speaking after the meeting, Chhattisgarh Congress president Deepak Baij said the state unit would implement the directions issued by the party leadership with full seriousness. “The aim is to strengthen the organisation at the grassroots and reconnect with people on issues that affect their daily lives,” he said.
Discussions also touched upon ongoing political issues in Chhattisgarh, including protests related to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). Baij said Congress workers are visiting villages to raise awareness about what the party describes as failures of both the Centre and the state government on employment and welfare.
Party sources indicated that the organisational revamp under SSA is being aligned with a broader political strategy to sharpen the Congress’s attack on the government over local and livelihood-related issues. The outcomes of the restructuring exercise are expected to shape the party’s preparedness in key states in the months ahead.
