Ahead of Assam elections, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra races to contain rift, build front against BJP

Gandhi’s immediate priority is to prevent further defections and maintain cohesion within the state unit as it prepares for the polls

• Priyanka Gandhi leads Congress screening for Assam polls
• She aims to prevent defections and boost party unity
• Congress explores new alliances, rules out AIUDF tie-up

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Senior Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has stepped into a crucial organisational role ahead of the Assam Assembly elections, seeking to steady the party after a high-profile resignation and intensifying political attacks from the BJP.

As chairperson of the Congress Screening Committee for Assam, Gandhi concluded a two-day visit to the state, focusing on candidate selection and party unity. Her visit came days after former Assam Congress chief Bhupen Borah resigned from the party after a three-decade association.

According to sources in the Congress, Gandhi’s immediate priority is to prevent further defections and maintain cohesion within the state unit as it prepares for the polls, reported NDTV.

During her visit, Gandhi met 21 MLAs, three MPs, district presidents and block-level leaders to gather feedback on prospective candidates. According to a PTI report from New Delhi, she also interacted with grassroots workers and reviewed potential nominees for the upcoming elections.

The meeting was attended by AICC in-charge for Assam Jitendra Singh, Assam PCC chief Gaurav Gogoi, and Congress Legislature Party leader Debabrata Saikia.

Other members of the screening committee include Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, and MPs Imran Masood, Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka and Sirivella Prasad.

The first meeting of the screening committee is expected early next week, where candidates for the April polls will be discussed and finalised.

Beyond candidate selection, alliance-building remains a key challenge for Congress.

In the 2021 Assembly elections, the BJP-led alliance won 75 of Assam’s 126 seats, while the Congress-led Mahajot secured 50. Although the NDA enjoyed a comfortable seat margin, the vote share gap was narrower, 43.9 percent for the NDA against 42.3 percent for the Mahajot.

In 2021, the Congress won 25 seats, while the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), led by Badruddin Ajmal, contributed 16. However, party sources indicated that the Congress is reluctant to renew its tie-up with the AIUDF, which it has described as the BJP’s “B team”.

Ajmal was defeated in Dhubri in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections by Congress leader Rakibul Hussain by a margin of nearly 10 lakh votes.

Instead, the Congress is exploring a possible alliance with Sibsagar MLA Akhil Gogoi’s Raijor Dal, along with smaller regional players.

Meanwhile, the Assam BJP has mounted a sharp counterattack.

Addressing a press conference at the party’s state headquarters in Guwahati, spokesperson Jayanta Kumar Goswami criticised the Congress' "Charge Sheet-2026" against the state government.

Inviting Gandhi to visit tea garden areas, Goswami said she should "walk on the paved roads and personally inspect the garden schools, Anganwadi centres and well-equipped hospitals" to witness the development carried out by the BJP government.

He described the Congress’ allegations as “20 baseless charges” that expose what he termed the party’s “intellectual bankruptcy” and disconnect from Assam’s ground realities.

The spokesperson also defended eviction drives undertaken by the government led by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, stating they targeted illegal encroachments on forest land, VGR/PGR land, tribal belts and other government land. Accusing the Congress of “appeasement politics”, Goswami alleged that the opposition was misrepresenting the evictions as actions against indigenous communities.

He further claimed that while the Congress had failed to grant land pattas to tea workers even after decades in power, the BJP government had ensured land ownership rights for them under Sarma’s leadership.

With Assam headed for Assembly elections in April, the Congress is attempting to regain power after nearly a decade of BJP rule. While the BJP’s strong organisational base presents a formidable challenge, party insiders suggested that even a significant improvement in seat tally would be seen as a positive outcome for Gandhi’s stewardship of the campaign.

The electoral battle is also likely to feature contrasting campaign styles, with Sarma’s aggressive pitch expected to dominate the BJP’s outreach, while Gandhi’s presence could serve as a strategic counterweight in the Congress’ effort to consolidate support.