Senior Congress leaders on Friday held a key strategy meeting with Punjab party leaders ahead of the state assembly elections scheduled for next year, focusing on the party’s campaign and outreach plans in the politically significant border state.

The meeting was convened at the residence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and attended by former party chief Rahul Gandhi and All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary K.C. Venugopal.

Congress leader and Punjab affairs in-charge Bhupesh Baghel said the discussions were held with the participation of the party’s top leadership and senior Punjab leaders.

“There was extensive discussion on the party’s strategy and how we will reach out to the people of Punjab,” Baghel told reporters after the meeting. “Assembly elections in Punjab are due soon, and only a few months remain.”

Baghel, the former chief minister of Chhattisgarh, described Punjab as a crucial state both for the Congress party and for the country, adding that the party would soon finalize an action plan and launch its campaign on the ground.

Senior Punjab Congress leaders who attended the meeting included former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, former deputy chief minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and Vijay Inder Singla.

The Congress is seeking to regain political ground in Punjab after losing power in the state to the Aam Aadmi Party in the 2022 assembly elections.