The Congress is attempting its most ambitious organisational overhaul in years through the Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan, a nationwide exercise designed to rebuild the party from the grassroots.
At the heart of the initiative is the creation of a centralised digital database of members and office-bearers, with the leadership hoping to modernise the organisation and make it more cadre-driven.
But even before the campaign went gone national, its pilot project in Bihar has become the centre of a fierce internal battle.
The Bihar unit’s digital membership drive, touted as a model that could eventually be replicated across the country, is drawing criticism from within the party, with several senior leaders alleging that the new system effectively allows organisational posts to be secured through money rather than merit.
BIHAR PILOT PROJECT
Launched in April under the banner ‘Sangathan Srijan Sathi’, the Bihar Congress has rolled out a digital membership drive in which each membership costs Rs 50.
According to party leaders, the exercise is around 70 per cent complete, with more than three lakh members already enrolled. The campaign is expected to conclude by the end of July.
Membership is being carried out exclusively through a dedicated mobile application developed for the Bihar Congress. Each registered mobile number can enrol up to four members, while every applicant must upload a Voter ID card and a selfie for verification.
MEMBERSHIP TO LEADERSHIP
Unlike previous organisational exercises, the Bihar model directly links membership mobilisation to eligibility for party posts.
Under the new framework, a party worker must enrol 3,000 members to qualify for the post of Vice President, 2,000 members to become General Secretary, 1,000 members to be eligible for the post of Secretary, and 200 members to secure a Prakhand-level organisational position.
The Congress leadership says the criteria are designed to make appointments performance-based, rewarding those who expand the party’s grassroots base rather than those who rely on lobbying or personal connections.
Supporters of the model argue that the system replaces lobbying and patronage with measurable organisational work, rewarding those who can expand the party’s base.
POSTS FOR MONEY?
The same formula has also become the biggest source of controversy.
Several veteran leaders and dissidents have opposed the exercise, with some reportedly asking workers in their constituencies not to participate.
Complaints have also reached the Congress high command in Delhi, with critics alleging that aspirants are being forced to spend large sums on enroling members simply to remain competitive for organisational positions.
“Now anyone can buy designations in the party by spending around Rs 1.5 lakh. One can become a district president. That is what is happening. In Gandhi ji’s party, positions seem to be on sale. You can buy memberships and become leaders,” a party leader told India Today TV.
DIGITAL DISSENSIONS
The rebellion has increasingly played out in public.
Several Congress leaders have criticised the exercise on social media, alleging that organisational reforms are being used to collect money.
Posters and WhatsApp messages targeting Bihar Congress in-charge Krishna Allavaru and state president Rajesh Ram have also circulated widely.
Another senior leader has claimed that the system could allow individuals with no ideological commitment to the Congress, even alleged BJP supporters, to enter the organisation simply by purchasing memberships.
“It’s not only workers. Many senior leaders are against this drive and say it’s all a farce. Fake members are being created for the sake of posts. People who have never been associated with the Congress ideology can enter the organisation simply by purchasing memberships,” the leader claimed.
A disgruntled Congress leader who recently contested the Assembly elections said the new system leaves little choice but to finance memberships if one hopes to retain influence within the party.
“If I wanted my own team, I had to pay for memberships from the Prakhand level right up to Secretary and Vice President level. Otherwise someone else would become district president, and then I’d have to work under someone who wasn’t my choice.”
Former Congress leader Anand Madhab, one of the most vocal critics, even shared a caricature on Facebook depicting Allavaru and Rajesh Ram allegedly selling party posts.
“This is the party of Gandhi and Nehru, and you’re trying to make money out of poor workers. What happens to those who have stayed loyal to the Congress ideology for decades but cannot afford to buy a post? The organisation will eventually be left with only those who have money power,” he said.
LEADERSHIP PUSHES BACK
Rejecting the allegations, Bihar Congress president Rajesh Ram defended the initiative, describing it as the most significant organisational restructuring undertaken by the state unit in years.
“It’s after a long time that the entire state unit is being revamped. Fresh blood is being infused, and new faces are emerging. If you work, some people are bound to be unhappy,” he said.
Ram said the response to the campaign had been encouraging, claiming that 36 per cent of new members belong to OBC communities, 17 per cent to EBCs, and 3 per cent are tribals.
He maintained that the exercise enjoys Rahul Gandhi’s full backing and reiterated that Bihar was serving as a pilot project for a possible nationwide rollout.
According to Ram, the new system gives grassroots workers a realistic pathway to leadership without having to repeatedly lobby senior leaders in Delhi.
He also said a dedicated control centre has been established at Sadaqat Ashram to monitor the campaign, with every digital registration undergoing verification before being accepted into the party’s database.
“We have created a new leadership. New people are getting opportunities. Nearly 40 per cent of the members are youth, and their training has already begun. Once the full organisational team is in place, we’ll chart the party’s political calendar,” he said.
TEST CASE FOR ORGANISATIONAL VISION
Despite the Bihar leadership’s confidence, dissent within the state unit continues to simmer.
Sources said that several disgruntled leaders have been lobbying the Congress high command in Delhi, arguing that the original vision of the Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan has been diluted.
Instead of strengthening the organisation, they contend, the membership drive has become an embarrassment that rivals are using to mock the Congress in Bihar.
The outcome of the Bihar experiment could have implications far beyond the state. If the pilot succeeds, it may shape the Congress’s organisational model nationwide.
But if internal divisions deepen, the party’s flagship reform initiative could face resistance even before it reaches the rest of the country.
For a Congress seeking to expand its footprint in a state where the BJP remains dominant and the RJD continues to occupy much of the opposition space, the challenge is not merely recruiting more members—it is convincing its own workers that the path to leadership is earned, not bought.
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