Soren Meets Kharge, Rahul Gandhi Ahead of Jharkhand Polls

AICC general secretary (organization) K.C. Venugopal and Soren’s wife Kalpana were present at the meeting. The Congress has already formed committees in the state to get ready for the elections. It also replaced state unit chief Rajesh Thakur last week.

The meeting comes days after former Jharkhand chief minister Champai Soren joined the BJP after resigning from the JMM, citing dissatisfaction with the party's current style of functioning and his “bitter humiliation”.

The Congress president and Gandhi also held another meeting with AICC secretaries and joint secretaries to discuss the forthcoming polls and ways to strengthen the organisation. The high command sought their feedback on expanding the party's support base, sources said.

The meeting comes days after a major organisational rejig under which the party appointed several new secretaries and joint secretaries while shuffling some office-bearers.

In a post on X, Kharge said the Congress would reach out to every Indian. “We chaired a meeting of the newly-appointed AICC secretaries and joint secretaries. We are determined to strengthen our organisation, involve each voice and keep speaking truth to power," the Congress president said.

Kharge has appointed AICC secretaries and joint secretaries for various states and Union territories. These office-bearers are associated with the party's general secretaries and in-charges in the respective states.

Pranav Jha and Gaurav Pandhi, who are coordinators in the office of the Congress president, were made AICC secretaries. The meeting assumes significance as the party is gearing up for the Assembly elections in four states in the next couple of months.