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The Congress officially dismissed reports of a physical altercation or major scuffle, suggesting the disagreements were limited to political differences
organised into groups of ten, to conduct a frank, constituency-wise assessment of the party’s debacle. The central leadership quickly sought to downplay the incident, with the Congress officially dismissing reports of a physical altercation or major scuffle. File pic
A crucial Congress review meeting in New Delhi, convened on Thursday to analyse the party’s humiliating performance in the recently concluded Bihar assembly elections, descended into high drama after a heated argument allegedly broke out between two prominent state leaders. Reports circulating in the capital indicated that the dispute escalated alarmingly. According to some reports, one leader threatened the other, stating he “will shoot him”. However, the Congress has rejected these reports and that there were any clashes.
Reports say the incident occurred as the Congress high command, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and MP Rahul Gandhi, undertook a detailed, one-on-one review process. The leadership met with individual leaders and delegations, organised into groups of ten, to conduct a frank, constituency-wise assessment of the party’s debacle. The central leadership quickly sought to downplay the incident, with the Congress officially dismissing reports of a physical altercation or major scuffle, suggesting the disagreements were limited to political differences.
Bihar Congress in-charge Krishna Allavaru said, “Since I went into that room, nothing like this happened. If something like this happened, you should go and ask them.”
He further said, “…The election results in Bihar have gone beyond vote theft. It has reached election engineering. The NDA has different parties. The Grand Alliance has different parties. Every party has weaknesses and some strengths. How is it that the strike rate of every NDA alliance party is consistently above two-thirds? And how is it that the strike rate of every party in the Grand Alliance is almost equal? This is engineering. If you have visited Bihar, the atmosphere must have been that people are unhappy with the BJP. Still, people trust Nitish Kumar… Nitish ji has been stopped at such a place that even if Nitish ji wants, he cannot form the government with any other party.” This is a very scientifically engineered result, he added.
“Today’s 4-hour review meeting with our candidates & leaders from Bihar, under Hon’ble Congress President and Hon’ble LOP’s leadership, made one thing absolutely clear: the Bihar election was not a genuine mandate, but a grossly managed and fabricated outcome,” Congress general secretary KC Venugopal posted on X. “They highlighted how SIR enabled targeted voter deletions and dubious additions, how blatant cash bribery under the so-called MMRY scheme was used to influence voters even at polling stations, and how identical margins across constituencies exposed a pattern that no independent election commission would ever overlook. These issues point to organised electoral malpractices and brazen violations of the Model Code of Conduct, carried out under the watch of an ECI that has increasingly behaved like an active collaborator in BJP’s election rigging. What happened in Bihar is nothing short of a direct assault on democracy. The Congress Party will not allow this stolen mandate to become the new normal. The fight to protect India’s democracy continues—fearlessly, relentlessly, and with the people by our side.”
Following the extensive deliberations, Congress MP Tariq Anwar confirmed the thorough nature of the process. He stated, “A very detailed review has been conducted… Congress President Kharge ji, Rahul ji and Venugopal ji have spoken one-on-one with everyone.” Anwar acknowledged the party’s failures in the state and promised decisive action, adding, “It is true that corrective measures will be taken… the AICC will prepare a roadmap for the future, and action will be taken.”
Another senior leader, Congress MP Akhilesh Prasad Singh, also confirmed that all state leaders were heard on a constituency-by-constituency basis and that “the matter of making improvements was discussed.”
The Bihar unit of the Congress has been under immense pressure following their poor outing, which saw their strike rate significantly impact the overall performance of the opposition alliance. The reported argument underscores the deep-seated factionalism and internal blame game gripping the state unit as leaders grapple with accountability for the defeat. The high command’s next steps are awaited, as they are now tasked with preparing a comprehensive roadmap to address both the organisational flaws and the volatile internal dynamics revealed during the tumultuous review session.
The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d…Read More
The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d… Read More
November 27, 2025, 22:30 IST
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