New Delhi: The Congress party has been going through a very difficult phase since 2014. Elections come and go, but they invariably bring bad news for the party. It has faced crushing defeats in elections ranging from state assemblies to the Lok Sabha. Once ruling over the majority of the country, the Congress is now confined to only a handful of states. However, new strategies are being devised to revive the party once again.
To infuse new energy into the party, the Congress is launching a nationwide ‘Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan’ (Organisation Building Campaign) with the aim of establishing a strong foothold. The objective of this campaign is to restructure the party’s organisational framework and build a strong presence at the grassroots level. Additionally, the initiative seeks to create a centralised digital database of members and office-bearers across the country.
The most talked-about and allegedly controversial experiment under this campaign is taking place in Bihar. Here, the Congress is testing a model that is expected to serve as a template for the rest of the country in the future. Allegations of posts being secured through monetary payments have also surfaced within the Bihar Congress.
Why is the Congress campaign in Bihar making headlines?
The ‘Srijan Sathi’ public outreach program was launched in Bihar on April 11 to strengthen the party’s organisational structure. Senior party leaders themselves openly opposed the move. While State Congress President Rajesh Ram described it as an initiative to bring transparency to the organisation and expand the cadre at the grassroots level, the controversy arose over the campaign’s terms, leading to allegations that party posts were being sold for money.
Implementation of Rahul Gandhi’s pilot project in Bihar: Three months ago, the Bihar Congress Committee launched a digital membership drive under the banner of ‘Sangathan Srijan Sathi’. This was also designated as the ‘Srijan Sathi’ public outreach program. Under this scheme, leaders aspiring for positions within the Congress organisation must first recruit their supporters as ‘Srijan Sathis’. A fee of ₹50 has been fixed for each membership.
Digital registration is being conducted for ₹50
Under the Congress party’s ‘Srijan Sathi’ public outreach program, digital registration is being facilitated upon payment of ₹50. Meanwhile, the program launched in April is nearly 70 per cent complete. According to the party, over three lakh members have already joined. This exercise is expected to conclude by the end of July. The party’s membership drive is being conducted entirely through a mobile app developed specifically for the Bihar unit.
Plan to Transition from Membership to Leadership
Congress’s digital campaign is also establishing a new roadmap for becoming an office-bearer within the Bihar Congress. Eligibility criteria are directly linked to the number of members personally recruited. Recommendations for positions will be based on the number of supporters garnered following digital registration, which costs ₹50 under the organisation’s building program.
