Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari on Monday, 10 August said the party is intensifying its grassroots organisational drive across the state, with a focus on ideological training and booth-level strengthening as it prepares to challenge the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s dominance in Madhya Pradesh. Patwari was addressing a two-day training programme for Mandalam, block and city presidents of Congress committees in Chhindwara and Pandhurna districts.

What the Training Programme Covers

The programme brought together a large number of district-level office-bearers and workers. Former Chhindwara MP Nakul Nath, Congress training in-charge Mahendra Joshi, and party national spokesperson Abhay Dubey also addressed the gathering.

Workers are being trained in the party's ideology, the Constitution, democratic values, leadership responsibilities, and public outreach strategies. Patwari described the effort as part of a structured organisational restructuring underway across different districts of the state through similar two-day sessions.

'Organisational reconstruction is not merely about forming posts. It is a process of establishing a strong relationship between the party's ideology, workers and the people. A trained worker is the foundation of a strong organisation,' Patwari said.

Datia Bypoll Victory as a Morale Booster

Patwari pointed to Congress' recent victory in the Datia Assembly bypoll as evidence that an active grassroots organisation and united workers can deliver results. He raised a range of public issues — including farmers' problems, unemployment, law and order, corruption, and the state's financial position — framing them as the party's core campaign planks going forward.

Nakul Nath echoed the call for stronger party infrastructure, stressing the need to maintain regular contact with both workers and voters at the ground level.

Context: Rebuilding After 2023 Defeat

The training programme carries added significance given Congress' heavy defeat in the 2023 Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections, where the BJP won 163 of the state's 230 Assembly seats while Congress secured just 66. The result was a decisive setback that left the party's organisational machinery weakened in large parts of the state.

Since then, the Congress has prioritised booth-level network rebuilding and district-level leadership development. The Datia bypoll win has provided a measure of political momentum, though the scale of the 2023 defeat means the road to relevance remains steep.

Year-Round Activism, Not Just Election Mode

Patwari said Congress' stated objective is to build an organisation that remains active throughout the year — continuously raising public issues — rather than mobilising only during election cycles. This marks a deliberate shift in strategy, acknowledging that episodic electioneering has cost the party its connect with voters between polls.

With similar training programmes planned across Madhya Pradesh's districts, the Congress is signalling that its organisational overhaul is a sustained, state-wide effort rather than a localised exercise.