In a major push to restructure and revive its grassroots cadre, the Congress party is scheduled to host a comprehensive 10-day training camp for its newly appointed district and city unit presidents in Raipur later this month.

The residential training program, scheduled from June 21 to June 30, 2026, will be held at the Agniyotam Alka Avatar Mangal Bhavan located near Chandi Mor in the state capital. Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, is confirmed to attend the session for a day to interact with the state leadership and share organizational strategies.

High-level directive from AICC

The announcement came via an official directive issued by All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal. The central leadership has made attendance mandatory for all newly designated district and city chiefs appointed under the party’s ongoing Sangathan Srijan Campaign.

This upcoming session follows an earlier two-day orientation program held on February 10, 2026, at Indira Bhavan in New Delhi, where Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi had initially briefed the new appointees.

Focus on local poll preparation

Senior party leaders in Raipur indicated that the 10-day window is specifically designed to transition from macro-level orientation to micro-level execution on the ground.

"The initial briefings in Delhi were about the broad vision. The Chhattisgarh Congress training camp in Raipur will focus on local realities—booth management, countering the ruling party's narrative, and mobilizing workers for the impending urban body and panchayat elections," a senior Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) functionary stated.

Mandatory presence for senior leaders

The AICC directive has placed a heavy responsibility on the state unit to ensure seamless logistics and active participation.

According to the schedule, top state leaders, including AICC secretaries in charge of the state, the PCC chief, and the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader, have been instructed to dedicate maximum time to the camp. The letter explicitly mandates that senior state leaders must be present for at least five days of the session, including the first two and the final two days of the program.

Grassroots revival strategy

The camp is being viewed as a crucial step for the party to stabilize its base after leadership transitions following past electoral setbacks. Local party insiders suggest that training the fresh batch of district presidents is essential to aligning the party’s core ideology with modern campaign techniques and public outreach.

Participants have been instructed to reach the venue by 12:00 PM on June 21 to commence the formal sessions. Formal invitations and agendas are currently being dispatched to all district headquarters.

Over 35 Chhattisgarh Youth Congress leaders reach Delhi for presidential interviews

In a parallel development indicating intense internal activity within the state unit, more than 35 contenders from Chhattisgarh arrived at the Congress national headquarters in New Delhi on Friday.

The candidates are appearing for high-stakes interviews for the position of the State Youth Congress President. The process has gained significant traction amid murmurs of factional disagreements regarding candidate preferences.

Responding to speculations about internal discontent among senior state leaders over the selection process, Youth Congress leader Devendra Yadav dismissed the reports as mere political gossip, stating that the interviews are part of a routine, democratic screening process to find the most capable grassroots leader for the youth wing.