'If We Could Have Got 20-30 More Seats...': Kharge Addresses Congress District Presidents' Meet

Mallikarjun Kharge said that in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the constituent parties of the INDIA alliance fought together against the BJP and its allies, restricting the BJP to 240 seats.

Mallikarjun Kharge speaks to Congress District Presidents at the party headquarters.

Source : X/Kharge

The Congress on Thursday called a meeting of the District Congress Committee President at the party headquarters in New Delhi. The party called the meeting of the District Presidents from 13 states and 3 UTs ahead of the All India Congress Committee's session in Gujarat's Ahmedabad in April.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge called on the party’s district unit chiefs to work in unison with a long-term strategy to secure electoral victories in the states. He asserted that while the party’s ideology remains strong, it cannot be effectively implemented in the country without being in power.

Addressing the District Congress Committee (DCC) presidents, Kharge said that in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the constituent parties of the INDIA alliance fought together against the BJP and its allies, restricting the BJP to 240 seats. 

"Today, BJP is short of majority and dependent on two allies. A Prime Minister who arrogantly claimed 400 seats was dealt a significant blow by us," Kharge said. 

Sharing my opening remarks at the first leg of the meeting with District Congress Committee Presidents

1. I welcome everyone to this District Presidents' meeting today. We have participants from 13 states and 3 Union Territories present here.

2. The importance of this meeting… pic.twitter.com/pIvYQxSW9j

— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) March 27, 2025

He further said that if the Congress would have worked harder and gained 20-30 more seats, an alternative government could have been formed. 

"The Congress Party secured almost 100 seats. If we had worked harder, we could have gained 20-30 more seats. A gain of such seats could have led to the formation of an alternative government in the country," Kharge said during the meeting. 

"Had we achieved this, we could have halted the systematic assault on our independent institutions, democracy, and the Constitution," he added.

The DCC meeting is being conducted in phases over three days, with Thursday’s session attended by DCC chiefs from 13 states and three Union Territories.

The Congress chief said that the party's battle against the BJP and the RSS continues both inside and outside the Parliament. He called for taking this fight to the streets.

'You Are Not Just Messengers, But Generals Of the Congress Party'

Kharge emphasised that the Congress party’s fight against the BJP and RSS continues both inside and outside Parliament. He urged party workers to take this struggle to the streets. 

Stressing the importance of district presidents, he said they are not merely messengers but frontline commanders leading the party at the grassroots level.

Speaking in the presence of Rahul Gandhi and Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal, Kharge stated, “That is why Rahul Gandhi and I recognised the need for direct communication with you."