CWC Inside Story: Banter, Barbs and a Push to Take SIR Fight to the Streets

The Congress Working Committee meeting on Tuesday lasted nearly two-and-a-half hours as party leaders discussed the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision exercise, alleged irregularities in electoral rolls and the Congress’s plans to take the issue to the ground. The meeting also featured lighter exchanges involving Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi and MP Shashi Tharoor. According to leaders who attended the meeting, Rahul Gandhi received support from several CWC members for raising concerns about the electoral process. The Congress has been seeking action over what it describes as irregularities in the functioning of the Election Commission and the voter-roll revision process.

According to a Congress leader quoted after the meeting, Rahul Gandhi told CWC members that the party had been highlighting what it considers irregularities in the Election Commission and urged leaders to have confidence in the organisation and amplify the issues it was raising. When another leader credited Gandhi for the campaign, he reportedly responded that the credit belonged to the Congress and that he had no identity without the party. The discussions came ahead of a planned meeting of Opposition parties in Delhi, where leaders are expected to discuss a coordinated response to the Election Commission and the SIR exercise.

The CWC also discussed taking the issue beyond party meetings and into public campaigns. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, according to a leader present, stressed that the Congress did not depend on other organisations or parties to pursue the matter. She said the party had been raising the issue from the beginning and could continue the campaign on its own. The meeting also included discussion about the demand for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation. The Congress has separately called for action against the poll panel, while the BJP has rejected Rahul Gandhi’s allegations and defended the SIR process as legally sound and based on the Election Commission’s decision-making process.

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Amid the serious discussions, Kharge and Rahul Gandhi exchanged remarks that drew laughter from those present. According to a participant quoted in the report, Kharge said, “Hum aapke peeche chal rahe hain” (We are all walking behind you) while expressing support for Gandhi. Rahul Gandhi responded with a smile, asking, “Bahut peeche toh nahin hain?” (Not too far behind, I hope?). Kharge then replied that the leaders were walking alongside him. The exchange provided a lighter moment during a meeting otherwise dominated by discussions about the Election Commission, voter rolls and the Congress’s political response.

Another light-hearted exchange involved Shashi Tharoor. During the meeting, the Congress MP reportedly suggested organising an event around Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary, arguing that the party should not allow the BJP to shape the narrative around the occasion. Kharge then asked Tharoor whether he would actually attend an event organised by the Congress or whether party leaders would only see him on X and read his newspaper articles. A leader present described the comment as light-hearted and said it prompted smiles and laughter among those in the room. The exchange also recalled earlier remarks by Kharge that were interpreted within the party as references to senior leaders who are prominent on television and in newspaper columns.

The meeting also comes as Congress prepares for further political mobilisation over the Election Commission issue. The CWC has called for stronger action concerning the electoral-roll revision process, while Opposition parties are scheduled to meet in Delhi to discuss a broader strategy. The Congress has maintained that concerns about voter-list changes require greater transparency and scrutiny, while the Election Commission and BJP have disputed the party’s interpretation of the process. With the issue now forming a central part of the Congress’s public campaign, Tuesday’s meeting combined internal strategy discussions with efforts to coordinate the party’s next steps.

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