Congress to Hold Key Delhi Meeting on Bengal Poll Strategy

New Delhi: Senior Congress leaders will meet in the capital on Thursday to deliberate the party’s strategy for the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections, with a final decision expected on whether to contest in alliance with Left parties or go it alone.

West Bengal Congress president Subhankar Sarkar, former state unit chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, and several other senior leaders are scheduled to attend the meeting, which is being seen as a crucial step in shaping the party’s electoral roadmap.

According to party sources, the central agenda is to assess the viability of a renewed alliance with Left parties versus an independent contest. A majority of state leaders are believed to be inclined toward fighting the election without an alliance this time. Despite being key constituents of the INDIA bloc at the national level, the Congress and Left parties have not yet begun formal talks on a Bengal-specific arrangement.

The situation contrasts sharply with the 2021 Assembly elections, when both sides had announced their alliance as early as December 2020. The joint front, however, proved electorally disastrous. The coalition managed to win only one seat, and that victory went not to the Congress or the Left, but to their junior ally, the Indian Secular Front.

Sources say the outcome of the 2021 experiment has triggered serious introspection within the party. Congress strategists believe that regaining political relevance in West Bengal will require a long-term rebuilding plan rather than short-term electoral adjustments.

Thursday’s meeting is expected to set the tone for that strategy as the party weighs its options ahead of a high-stakes contest in the state.