GUWAHATI – Ahead of the high-stakes Assam Assembly elections, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is set to arrive in the state on February 18 for a pivotal two-day visit. As the chairperson of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) Screening Committee for Assam, her visit is expected to finalize the party’s candidate selection and fine-tune its electoral strategy.
High-Level Deliberations at Rajiv Bhawan
The Congress leader is scheduled to land in Guwahati and reach the state party headquarters, Rajiv Bhawan, by 11:30 am on February 18. Her itinerary is packed with back-to-back meetings aimed at assessing the party’s organizational readiness.
- Screening Committee Meeting: Her first order of business will be a session with the screening committee to review potential candidates.
- Core Committee Consultations: This will be followed by discussions with the Political Affairs Committee of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) and the heads of the five primary APCC election committees.
- Direct Outreach: In a move to gauge the ground reality, Gandhi Vadra will conduct one-to-one meetings with:
- 21 Congress MLAs.
- 35 District Congress Committee (DCC) presidents.
- Heads of the four APCC frontal organizations.
- Leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP), Debabrata Saikia.
Grassroots Focus on Day Two
The second day of her visit, February 19, will focus on internal coordination and broadening the strategy to the booth level.
Morning Session: Meetings with APCC working presidents, Members of Parliament, and various party cells and departments at Rajiv Bhawan.
Grassroots Interaction: Later in the day, she will move to the Manabendra Sarma Complex in Dispur to hold deliberations with Block Congress Committee presidents and other APCC office bearers.
Strategy and Preparation
Party sources indicate that this visit is more than ceremonial; it is a “readiness audit.” With the BJP currently holding a dominant position in the state, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s mission is to resolve internal differences, energize the cadres, and ensure that the Congress presents a formidable challenge in the upcoming polls.
She is expected to depart for New Delhi on the evening of February 19 after concluding her final round of discussions.
At a Glance: The Schedule
- Feb 18, 11:30 AM: Arrival at Rajiv Bhawan.
- Feb 18, Afternoon: Meetings with MLAs, District Presidents, and Frontal Heads.
- Feb 19, Morning: Session with MPs and APCC Departments.
- Feb 19, Afternoon: Interaction with Block Presidents at Dispur.
