Assam elections: Congress deploys senior leadership to oversee campaign

The Congress on January 7 moved to tighten its organisational grip ahead of the Assam Assembly elections by appointing senior leaders D K Shivakumar, Bhupesh Baghel and Bandhu Tirkey as observers for the state.

The appointments signal the party’s intent to closely monitor ground-level coordination and alliance management in Assam, where polls to 126 constituencies are expected in March–April.

The decision was announced by K C Venugopal, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary (organisation), while naming observer teams for Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

The Assam move follows the recent appointment of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as chairperson of the party’s screening committee for the state elections, underlining her central role in shaping the Congress campaign. Shivakumar, Baghel and Tirkey are regarded as close to Vadra and are expected to play a key role in candidate selection and coordination with allies.

Assam’s political contest is set against a crowded alliance landscape. Last month, the Congress stitched together a pre-poll alliance with the CPI(M), Raijor Dal, Assam Jatiya Parishad, CPI, CPI(ML) Liberation, Jatiya Dal-Asom and the Karbi Anglong-based All Party Hill Leaders Conference to jointly take on the ruling BJP-led coalition.

At present, the BJP holds 64 seats in the 126-member Assembly, with its allies — Asom Gana Parishad (nine), United People’s Party Liberal (seven) and Bodoland People’s Front (three) — shoring up its numbers. The opposition benches comprise 26 Congress MLAs, 15 from the AIUDF, one CPI(M) legislator and an Independent.

With senior observers now in place, the Congress is signalling a more hands-on approach in Assam as it looks to convert opposition unity into electoral traction.