The Congress should be strengthened to defeat fascist and communal forces that are working overtime to gobble Tamil Nadu in the 2026 Assembly elections, according to Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K. Selvaperunthagai.

Addressing a party meeting here on Saturday to accelerate formation of village Congress committees in every hamlet of Tirunelveli district, Mr. Selvaperunthagai said INDIA Bloc had set the target of winning more than 200 Assembly segments in Tamil Nadu in the 2026 Assembly elections, and this could be achieved only if the Congress was strong enough at all levels.

Hence, 21,000 village committees were being formed across the State, each with a president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer and 10 committee members. If the Congress was strengthened before the polls, no one could ignore it and its cadre’s dream of getting more Assembly seats and more positions in local bodies would get realised, he said.

“Even though Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP are working hard to wipe out the Congress, the party that created a new India from scratches after Independence, is still alive and vibrant enough to rule three States despite the sinister designs of the RSS and its BJP,” he said.

Nanguneri MLA and TNCC treasurer Ruby R. Manoharan, who has formed village Congress committees in all villages of his Assembly constituency, said the resounding victory of INDIA Bloc in the 2026 Assembly elections would herald the elimination of Modi-led “autocratic governance”.

Killiyoor MLA Rajesh Kumar said the Congress was still active in Tamil Nadu due to the party cadre even though it lost its power in 1967. “If we strengthen the party at the village level, we can take on the miserably failed autocratic administration of the Narendra Modi-led government. Moreover, we can fight for the welfare of the villages by getting its due share for creating due infrastructure in rural areas,” he said.

Former MLA and Congress restructuring committee president S. Peter Alphonse said the formation of village committee would give the much-needed opportunity to identify the party’s strengths and weaknesses and take appropriate remedial measures.

Tirunelveli MP C. Robert Bruce urged the TNCC president to get a minimum of two Assembly segments in Tirunelveli district for the Congress in the 2026 Assembly elections.