Congress leader Rahul Gandhi convened an emergency strategy session with party president Mallikarjun Kharge and top brass at the AICC headquarters on November 15, 2025, to dissect the party's abysmal showing in the Bihar Assembly elections, where it secured a mere six of the 61 seats contested—its second-worst performance since winning four in 2010. Joined by AICC general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal, treasurer Ajay Maken, and Bihar in-charge Krishna Allavaru, the closed-door meeting focused on systemic failures, alliance coordination breakdowns, and alleged electoral malpractices that contributed to the Mahagathbandhan's rout against the NDA's 200-plus seat sweep. Sources described the atmosphere as "sombre yet resolute", with Gandhi reiterating his public stance that the election "was not fair from the very beginning", citing voter suppression, EVM discrepancies, and administrative bias as key factors stifling the opposition's momentum despite high-decibel campaigns like the "Vote Adhikar Yatra".

The review comes amid growing scrutiny of the Congress-RJD partnership, where the former's 10% strike rate exposed organisational disarray in booth management, candidate selection, and countering the BJP-JD(U)'s narrative on development and caste arithmetic. Gandhi, speaking to reporters post-meeting, pledged an "in-depth, data-driven analysis" of the results, signalling a broader INDIA bloc introspection to recalibrate strategy ahead of crucial 2026 polls in West Bengal and Assam. Internally, fingers pointed to over-reliance on Tejashwi Yadav's charisma without robust ground-level mobilisation, with Allavaru tasked to submit a detailed report within a week on winnability assessments and local leadership accountability. The drubbing—down from 19 seats in 2020—has intensified calls within the party for revamping state units, empowering youth leaders, and forging more equitable seat-sharing pacts to arrest the slide in Hindi heartland strongholds.

This Bihar debacle follows a pattern of electoral setbacks for the Congress in key battlegrounds, amplifying pressure on Kharge and Gandhi to demonstrate revival before the 2027 Uttar Pradesh contest. The leadership vowed to challenge specific irregularities through legal avenues while accelerating grassroots rebuilding via membership drives and policy outreach on employment and price rise—issues that resonated during the yatra but failed to translate into votes. As the NDA celebrates Nitish Kumar's ninth term, the Congress's soul-searching underscores the uphill battle for opposition unity, with Gandhi emphasising that "democracy's guardians must be held accountable" to restore public faith in the process.

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With the party's national footprint shrinking, the meeting marks a pivotal moment for course correction, blending introspection with aggressive positioning against perceived institutional capture. The outcomes of this review could shape alliance dynamics and leadership transitions, determining whether the Congress emerges leaner and more combative or risks further marginalisation in India's evolving political landscape.

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