Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi arrived in Guwahati on Wednesday morning on a day-long visit. This is the first visit of the party’s top leaders since Gaurav Gogoi took over as the state president, ahead of next year’s assembly election. Kharge and Gandhi were received at the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport by the party’s state leadership, who greeted them with traditional Assamese scarf ‘gamosas’. The senior Congress leaders landed at the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport (LGBI) at around 10:30 AM, where they were received by Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) President Gaurav Gogoi, along with several former state party presidents, Members of Parliament (MPs), and Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs).
A vibrant cultural welcome featuring traditional Assamese dance performances was organised at the airport to honour the visiting leaders. The visit marks a high-stakes moment for the party, which is seeking to rebuild its grassroots network and reassert its political relevance in Assam—a state it once ruled for decades. Strategic Deliberations and Organisational Revamp According to the tentative itinerary, Kharge and Gandhi are holding a series of high-level closed-door meetings throughout the day.
The first was a session of the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) with APCC’s top brass, where discussions focused on electoral strategy, alliance-building, and organisational reforms. The leaders are also meeting MPs, MLAs, district unit presidents, and representatives from various frontal organisations of the Congress. The interactions are part of a wider effort to energise party workers, assess ground realities, and build momentum for the 2026 campaign.
