Congress launches 'Project M' in MP to mobilise minority women
Synopsis
Out of power in Madhya Pradesh for over two decades, the Congress is betting on 'Project M' — a structured, ground-up initiative to bring minority women into active political roles. With a 160-member state-level leadership group and a phased district rollout, the party is attempting something more targeted than a conventional mobilisation drive.
Key Takeaways
Congress launched 'Project M' in Madhya Pradesh on 9 May 2025 at Indira Bhawan, Bhopal .
The initiative aims to bring women from minority communities into active political and social leadership roles.
A state-level women's leadership group of around 160 members has been formed to drive grassroots outreach.
Women under the initiative will focus on community engagement and political awareness — not protests or demonstrations .
The campaign will be rolled out in phases across all districts of Madhya Pradesh.
The Congress has been out of power in MP for more than 20 years and is using focused campaigns to rebuild its base.
The Indian National Congress on Saturday, 9 May launched 'Project M' in Madhya Pradesh, a structured outreach initiative aimed at bringing women from minority communities into active political roles and expanding the party's grassroots organisational base ahead of upcoming elections. The campaign was unveiled at Indira Bhawan, the state party office in Bhopal.
What Project M Entails
At the launch event, senior leaders including state Congress In-charge Harish Choudhary interacted with women representatives from minority communities and outlined plans to increase their participation in political and social leadership. The party has formed a state-level women's leadership group of around 160 members, who will work across villages, towns, and urban areas to connect women with the party's ideology, welfare agenda, and organisational activities.
State Congress President Jitu Patwari said the initiative is designed to ensure wider participation among women who have traditionally remained outside mainstream politics. "'Project M' is a mission to connect women from minority communities with leadership and decision-making. We want them to become active participants in strengthening democracy and society," Patwari said.
How the Campaign Will Operate
Unlike conventional mobilisation drives, women associated with 'Project M' will not be deployed in large protests or demonstrations, according to State Congress Media In-charge Mukesh Nayak. "Instead, their responsibility will be to directly engage with women within their communities, encourage political awareness, and build support networks at the local level," Nayak said.
The campaign will be rolled out in phases across all districts of Madhya Pradesh, with a focus on dialogue, training, and organisational work. Party sources described 'Project M' as a long-term effort to create a separate grassroots structure led by minority women and to identify new leaders at the local level.
Context: Congress's Uphill Task in MP
The Congress has been out of power in Madhya Pradesh for more than 20 years, having ceded ground to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) through a series of electoral reversals. 'Project M' is part of a broader pattern of focused social and organisational campaigns the party has been running to rebuild its base. Notably, this initiative specifically targets a demographic — minority women — that has historically been underrepresented in formal party structures across political formations.
What Comes Next
The 160-member state-level leadership group is expected to begin district-level outreach in the coming weeks. Party leaders indicated that the phased rollout will prioritise areas where minority communities have a significant presence. Whether 'Project M' translates into electoral gains or remains a structural exercise will depend on the consistency of its implementation in the months ahead.
Point of View
But one explicitly targeting minority women, a constituency the Congress believes is under-organised and underleveraged. After two decades in the wilderness in Madhya Pradesh, the party is clearly trying to build parallel structures rather than rely on traditional vote aggregation. The risk is that a 160-member leadership group, however well-intentioned, can easily become a paper exercise without sustained funding, follow-through, and genuine candidate pipeline creation. The real test of 'Project M' will not be in its launch event but in whether any of its members appear on a Congress ticket in the next assembly election.
NationPress
6 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Congress launch 'Project M' in Madhya Pradesh?
Congress launched 'Project M' to mobilise women from minority communities into active political roles and strengthen its grassroots base ahead of upcoming elections. The party has been out of power in Madhya Pradesh for over 20 years and is using focused organisational campaigns to rebuild.
What is 'Project M' and how will it work?
'Project M' is a Congress initiative that has formed a state-level women's leadership group of around 160 members to conduct community outreach across all districts of Madhya Pradesh. Unlike conventional drives, participants will focus on dialogue, political awareness, and building local support networks rather than protests or demonstrations.
Who are the key leaders behind 'Project M'?
State Congress President Jitu Patwari and state Congress In-charge Harish Choudhary are the key figures behind the initiative. State Congress Media In-charge Mukesh Nayak also outlined the campaign's operational approach at the launch.
Who does 'Project M' target?
The initiative specifically targets women from minority communities in Madhya Pradesh who have traditionally remained outside mainstream politics. The aim is to create a grassroots leadership structure led by these women and identify new local-level leaders.
When will 'Project M' be rolled out across Madhya Pradesh?
The campaign will be rolled out in phases across all districts of Madhya Pradesh, though a specific statewide timeline has not been announced. The 160-member state-level leadership group is expected to begin district-level engagement in the coming weeks.
