PATNA, Sept. 23 -- All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge for Bihar Krishna Allavaru on Monday said that the party is waging "the second war of Independence" in Bihar, calling the state as the epicentre of a nationwide battle against electoral malpractices and governance failures. Allavaru said this while talking to media persons at the Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) headquarter - Sadaqat Ashram - to brief about the party's preparations for the extended Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting scheduled for September 24. This is for the first time when Sadaqat Ashram, founded in 1921, is playing host to the CWC meeting - the party's apex decision-making body, the leaders said. Allavaru, flanked by BPCC chief Rajesh Ram, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leaders Shakeel Ahmed Khan and Madan Mohan Jha, emphasising the symbolic significance of Sadaqat Ashram, the historic headquarters where freedom fighters once rallied against the British rule. "Bihar, where Rahul Gandhi recently led the over 1,300-km 'Voter Adhikar Yatra', has become the centre of national politics," Allavaru stated, underscoring the party's renewed vigour ahead of the state assembly elections later this year. "We are fighting the second war of Independence in the state, a reason why the CWC meeting is being held here," added Allavaru. The extended CWC session, expected to draw top brass including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, will focus on critical issues plaguing Bihar under the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government. Unemployment, migration, price rise, spiralling crime, bullying approach of the US President, crime against women, etc, will be discussed prominently along with alleged "vote chori" (vote theft) by the BJP-led alliance in the extended CWC, said the AICC in-charge, adding that the party had already begun strategising candidate selections and alliance dynamics within the INDIA bloc. BPCC chief Ram echoed Allavaru's sentiments, describing the CWC meet as a "historic moment" that would infuse fresh energy into the party's ranks and reinforce democratic values. "This gathering at Sadaqat Ashram will not just strengthen organisational unity but also amplify the people's aspirations for change," Ram said, adding that around 170 top party leaders from across the country, including chief ministers are expected to participate. Senior party leaders later also inspected venue preparations later in the day and asserted that the event would go a long way in mobilising grassroots support for the upcoming polls....