Congress revamps Bihar unit, names new district chiefs

Patna, March 30 (IANS) The Congress has appointed new presidents for the District Congress Committees (DCCs) across 53 organisational districts in Bihar as part of a major restructuring exercise aimed at reviving its political prospects in the state. 

The move comes after the party’s disappointing performance in the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections and forms part of a wider organisational overhaul. 

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has approved the proposal to restructure organisational districts and appoint new DCC presidents with immediate effect.

These changes have been implemented under the party’s ‘Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan’, aimed at strengthening the grassroots organisation.

As part of the exercise, AICC observers conducted extensive district-level reviews, interacted with party workers and stakeholders, and submitted detailed reports. This was followed by one-on-one discussions between the senior leadership and the observers before finalising the appointments.

The restructuring comes against the backdrop of the party’s continued weak performance in Bihar. In the 2025 Assembly elections, the Congress contested 61 seats but managed to win only six. 

A similar trend was seen in the 2020 elections, where the party won just 19 out of the 70 seats it contested.

Apart from electoral setbacks, the party has also been grappling with internal challenges, including dissent within its ranks. During the Bihar floor test in February 2024 of the Nitish Kumar government, several Congress MLAs were involved in cross-voting.

Additionally, in the Rajya Sabha elections in 2026, three out of six Congress MLAs remained absent during voting, which proved crucial. As a result, BJP candidate Shivesh Kumar Ram defeated RJD’s Amrendra Dhari Singh in the second round.

Taking these factors into account, the party leadership has moved to strengthen its organisational structure at the district level.

According to the list issued by the office of Congress MP and General Secretary K.C. Venugopal, new DCC presidents have been appointed across several districts.

Some of the key appointments include Mohd. Masum Raza (Araria), Mohd. Kaif (Arwal), Anand Shankar Singh (Aurangabad), Jitendra Singh (Banka), Shiv Prakash Garibdass (Begusarai), Pravin Singh Kushwah (Bhagalpur), Dr Shreedhar Tiwari (Bhojpur), Pankaj Kumar Upadhyay (Buxar), Mithilesh Choudhary (Darbhanga Rural), Dr Jamal Hassan (Darbhanga Urban), Santosh Kumar (Sherghati–Bodh Gaya), Rajneesh Kumar (Gaya), Om Prakash Garg (Gopalganj), Prof. Sanjeev Kumar (Jehanabad), Dharmendra Kumar Gautam (Jamui), Radheshyam Kushwah (Kaimur), Suneel Yadav (Katihar Rural), Sanjay Singh Amla Tola (Katihar Urban), Chandan Yadav (Khagaria), among others.

The move is being seen as a significant attempt by the Congress to rebuild its organisation at the grassroots level and regain political relevance in Bihar ahead of upcoming elections.

--IANS

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