When All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Mallikarjun Kharge addressed the Ekvott (Unity) convention in Goa, his warning — “Stay united or BJP will divide you before 2027” — carried both political urgency and an unmistakable admission of divisions. Kharge’s high-profile visit certainly injected some much-needed energy into the party ranks, giving Congress workers a temporary lift. But beneath the show of solidarity, the grand old party’s most persistent problem of disunity remains unresolved. The irony was hard to miss: Just hours before Kharge took the stage to speak about unity, 108 Booth Level Agents (BLAs) across Goa resigned. The mass resignations are a stark reminder of just how fragile the Congress organisation has become. Senior state leaders, including GPCC president Girish Chodankar, described booth-level workers as the backbone of the party in their speeches. Yet the experience of those on the ground tells a very different story. Workers who resigned, particularly in constituencies such as Valpoi, complained that they were being sidelined, left out of consultations and kept in the dark about important organisational decisions — even about Kharge’s visit. When grassroots workers say the party appears “headless” and shows little respect for their views, calls for unity from the top are bound to sound shallow.
The Congress has struggled with this contradiction for years. Factionalism, public disagreements and internal bickering have become almost part of the party’s political culture. In Goa, the consequences have been especially damaging. Repeated defections have steadily weakened the party’s electoral strength, with elected representatives becoming easy targets for the ruling BJP. Kharge was therefore right to call out opportunistic defectors as “gaddars”, but it does nothing to reassure a disillusioned voter. The need of the hour is not only to hit out at defectors, but also to convince the electorate there won’t be repeats of 2017 and 2022.
Identifying the problem is easier than fixing it. The Congress leadership has often responded to dissent with authority rather than dialogue. Reports of grassroots workers being expelled without adequate consultation, along with the lingering resentment of some senior leaders over organisational decisions, have only widened existing cracks. Threats of disciplinary action, such as those issued by AICC in-charge Manikrao Thakare against workers airing their grievances publicly, may silence dissent temporarily, but they do little to address why that dissent emerged in the first place.
If Congress genuinely believes it can turn its grassroots presence into an electoral advantage in the 2027 Assembly elections, it must address these grassroots issues. Unity cannot be imposed from the top or achieved through warnings and disciplinary action. It has to be earned through transparent decision-making, regular consultation, a credible grievance-redressal system and, above all, respect for the people who keep the party functioning at the booth level.
The biggest takeaway from Kharge’s meeting was that it allowed the party to flex its political muscle and send a clear message that it remains a force to be reckoned with. A rousing speech by a national leader energised leaders, workers and supporters alike. However, the charisma of national leaders cannot, by itself, repair years of mistrust and factionalism the party is facing. Unless the Congress reconciles its competing camps and restores the confidence of its grassroots workers, the party could find its organisational house in disarray long before voters are called upon to decide its political fate in 2027.
