Ahmedabad, April 7: After a gap of more than six decades, the Indian National Congress is set to host its national convention in Ahmedabad on April 8 and 9. This significant return marks the first time since 1961 that the party’s top decision-making body, the All India Congress Committee (AICC), will meet in Gujarat — a state with deep historical ties to the party and India’s freedom struggle.
The announcement was made by Dr Manish Doshi, Media Convener of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee, here on Sunday. The convention arrives at a moment of rich historical significance.
In 2025, the nation will celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, one of the founding leaders of independent India and a stalwart of the Congress. It also marks 100 years since Mahatma Gandhi, who recognised the importance of Congress’ ideology in India’s struggle for Independence, assumed the party’s presidency.
Dr Doshi noted that bringing the convention to Gujarat pays homage to these legacies, especially given Sardar Patel’s role as the first and longest-serving president of the Gujarat Congress. The last AICC session in Gujarat was held in Bhavnagar in 1961.
Prior to that, the 1938 Haripura session in the Surat district, presided over by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, made history by passing the ‘Purna Swaraj’ resolution, calling for complete self-rule.
Earlier Congress sessions in Gujarat include those in Ahmedabad in 1902 and 1921 and in Surat in 1907 — all landmark events in the evolution of India’s national movement. The two-day schedule of the 86th Indian National Congress session is packed with significant events. On April 8, the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party’s apex policy-making body, will convene at 11.00 a.m. at the historic Sardar Smarak in Shahibaug.
Later that day, at 5.00 p.m., party leaders and delegates will gather for a solemn prayer meeting at Sabarmati Ashram, the symbolic centre of Mahatma Gandhi’s freedom movement. The evening will culminate in a cultural programme at 7.45 p.m. at the Riverfront Event Centre on the banks of the Sabarmati River, where Gujarat’s heritage and its contribution to the Congress movement will be celebrated.
The national convention itself will be held on April 9, also along the Sabarmati River, with more than 3,000 delegates expected to attend from across the country. Prominent Congress leaders — including National President Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Chief Ministers of Congress-ruled states, state presidents, CWC members, and special invitees — will be present.
Dr Doshi emphasized that this event is more than a political gathering; it is an opportunity for Gujarat to once again offer a new vision to the nation. “The preparations are in full swing. The people of Gujarat are enthusiastic, and this convention is expected to set a new direction — both for the state and for the Congress at the national level,” he said.
Hosting the convention in Gujarat is being seen as a matter of immense pride for the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee, which is looking to rejuvenate its political momentum in a state that has long been a BJP stronghold.
IANS
