Priyanka Gandhi gets big role in high-stakes election, leads Assam ticket panel

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has been appointed chairperson of the screening committee for selection of candidates for Assam, which goes to polls in barely three months. The eastern state is one of those set for high-stakes elections in 2026 — along with West Bengal, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Besides party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi for Assam, veteran leader Madhusudan Mistry has been named head of the screening committee for Kerala; former Chhattisgarh deputy chief minister TS Singh Deo for Tamil Nadu and Puducherry; and senior leader BK Hariprasad for West Bengal, news agency PTI reported on Sunday, January 4.

In Bengal, the fight is believed to be mainly between the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) of CM Mamata Banerjee and the Centre's ruling BJP. And the main players in Tamil Nadu are the DMK and AIADMK in Tamil Nadu, with the Congress and BJP playing smaller roles.

Assam is a key turf for the Congress for many reasons.

In Assam, the Congress is looking to contest the elections in alliance with other opposition parties in a bid to wrest power from BJP, which has been ruling the state since 2016.

The last Congress CM Tarun Gogoi's son, Gaurav Gogoi is seen a frontrunner in the state from the Congress camp. The younger Gogoi also holds the position of Deputy Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha since 2024, next to Rahul Gandhi.

With Priyanka's nomination as chairperson of Assam's screening committee, the party has named for the first time a Gandhi family member to the position.

In her new role, she will finalise candidate lists to contest the upcoming state election and also secure an alliance with smaller parties.

Gandhi's close aides Imran Masood and Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka, both Lok Sabha MPs, along with Sirivella Prasad have been made members of the Assam screening committee. According to a report in NDTV, Priyanka Gandhi is expected to give the party a strong push, helping Gaurav Gogoi take on the BJP.

However, the task is easier said than done.

After entering active politics in 2019, Priyanka suffered a setback in 2022, when under her supervision the Congress had one of its worst performances in Uttar Pradesh, where the party won only two seats in the Vidhan Sabha of 403.

In recent months, she has been on the front foot, launching a tirade in the Parliament against the BJP and taking an active part in several protests — from the issue of the voter roll revision, to the legacy of national song Vande Mataram. She also led protests both inside and outside the Parliament over the Centre's G Ram G bill, meant to replace MGNREGA. Her smiling persona, and banter with top BJP leaders, made headlines during the winter session of Parliament.

Recently, Congress leader Imran Masood said that if Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were made the Prime Minister, she would give a strong response like her grandmother and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Though, Masood clarified on the statement, the BJP claimed of a Rahul vs Priyanka divide in the Congress.

Meanwhile, the BJP has stepped up its attack on Gaurav Gogoi.

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has made direct attacks at Gogoi and alleged an “ISI, Pakistan link” with his wife — something the Gogois have rubbished. Sarma has also claimed he would present evidence, but so far it's been rhetoric.