K.C. Venugopal to review Assam Congress' poll debacle during two-day visit

All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal will visit Assam from June 30 to review the party's poor performance in the recent Assembly elections and discuss measures to strengthen the organisation.

An organisational meeting has been convened at the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) headquarters, Rajiv Bhawan, in Guwahati on July 1, where Venugopal is expected to assess the party's electoral performance and outline a roadmap for organisational revival.

According to party sources, all Congress MPs, MLAs, members of the Political Affairs Committee, APCC office-bearers, heads of frontal organisations, district presidents and candidates who contested the Assembly elections have been asked to attend the meeting. The discussions are expected to include constituency-wise feedback from candidates and party leaders.

Following the Assembly election defeat, Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi had constituted multiple teams comprising MLAs, former MLAs and senior leaders to conduct a ground-level review of each constituency. The teams were asked to submit their reports after conducting field visits between May 29 and June 2.

However, several members of the review teams have said that the reports have not yet been discussed with the State leadership. They said the reports highlighted organisational shortcomings and analysed factors that helped the BJP-led alliance secure a decisive victory.

Party leaders expect the constituency-wise reports to be taken up during the July 1 meeting in the presence of Mr. Venugopal. The discussions are also likely to focus on strategies to revive the organisation and boost the morale of party workers following the electoral setback.

The Congress, which contested the Assembly polls as part of a six-party Opposition alliance with the Raijor Dal, won 19 seats in the 126-member Assembly, while the Raijor Dal secured two.

The NDA, comprising the BJP, Asom Gana Parishad and Bodoland People's Front, won 102 seats. The BJP secured 82 seats, achieving its first single-party majority in the State, while the AGP and BPF won 10 seats each.