Guwahati: Congress Screening Committee Chairperson and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will arrive in Assam on Thursday for a two-day visit as the party steps up preparations for the upcoming Assembly elections.
According to party leaders, Gandhi will begin her visit by offering prayers at the Kamakhya Temple before proceeding to Rajiv Bhawan, the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee headquarters. She is scheduled to take part in screening-related meetings from 11 a.m. and continue discussions till late at night.
The visit was formally announced at a press conference addressed by AICC general secretary in-charge of Assam, Jitendra Singh, and Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Gaurav Gogoi.
Singh said that the Screening Committee, headed by Priyanka, would engage with Block Congress leaders, representatives of frontal organisations and grassroots party workers as part of the candidate selection process. He described the initiative as the first time that such a structured screening exercise was being undertaken in the State. Singh also indicated that Priyanka would return to Assam multiple times in the run-up to the elections to gauge public mood and strengthen organisational coordination.
Gogoi said the party was aiming to complete the screening process at the earliest and suggested that the first phase of the Congress candidates’ list could be released by the end of February, following consultations with the central leadership.
He asserted that the Congress was ahead in its poll preparations and confirmed that discussions were underway regarding alliances with like-minded Opposition parties.
Targeting Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Gogoi accused him of having lost the moral authority to comment on “Hindu leadership” and raised questions about his position in view of allegations concerning land and cattle syndicates.
He also referred to recent political developments involving senior leaders and claimed that efforts were being made to divert public attention from issues such as the alleged 12,000 bighas of land linked to the Chief Minister’s family.
(IANS)
