Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, Jan 4: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has been appointed chairperson of the party’s screening committee for the selection of candidates in Assam, which is set to go to Assembly polls in barely three months. Assam is among the key states heading for high-stakes elections in 2026, along with West Bengal, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
According to a report, the Congress has also named veteran leader Madhusudan Mistry as head of the screening committee for Kerala, former Chhattisgarh deputy chief minister T S Singh Deo for Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, and senior leader B K Hariprasad for West Bengal.
In Assam, the Congress is eyeing a comeback by forging alliances with other opposition parties to challenge the BJP, which has been in power since 2016. The appointment of Priyanka Gandhi is being seen as a significant move, as it marks the first time a member of the Gandhi family has been given charge of a state-level screening committee.
As chairperson, Priyanka Gandhi will play a key role in finalising the party’s candidate list and steering alliance talks with smaller parties. Her close aides, Lok Sabha MPs Imran Masood and Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka, along with Sirivella Prasad, have been appointed as members of the Assam screening committee.
Gaurav Gogoi, son of former Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi, is being seen as a frontrunner from the Congress camp. Gogoi is currently the Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, next to Rahul Gandhi. Party sources believe Priyanka Gandhi’s involvement could give a strong push to the Congress campaign and bolster Gogoi’s challenge against the BJP.
Assam is considered a crucial battleground, with the last Assembly elections seeing the BJP-led NDA winning 75 seats in the 126-member House, while the Congress-led alliance secured 50 seats. Notably, the vote share difference between the two blocs was just 1.6 per cent.
Priyanka Gandhi, who entered active politics in 2019, faced a setback in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, where the Congress performed poorly under her supervision. However, in recent months, she has been on the offensive, taking on the BJP in Parliament, leading protests on issues ranging from voter roll revision to MGNREGA-related legislation, and drawing attention for her sharp interventions and public presence.
Meanwhile, the BJP has intensified its attack on Gaurav Gogoi. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has made allegations linking Gogoi’s wife to Pakistan’s ISI, claims that have been strongly denied by the Gogoi family. Sarma has said he would present evidence, though no proof has been made public so far.
The Congress hopes that Priyanka Gandhi’s leadership role in Assam will help sharpen its electoral strategy as the state heads into a closely watched contest.