Guwahati, Jan 8: The Congress has stepped up its organisational preparations for the upcoming Assam Assembly elections by appointing senior leaders D K Shivakumar, Bhupesh Baghel and Bandhu Tirkey as observers for the state. The move, announced on January 7, reflects the party’s intent to exercise tighter oversight over coordination, alliance management and campaign strategy as polls to the 126-member Assembly are expected in March–April.
The decision was communicated by All India Congress Committee general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal while unveiling observer teams for several poll-bound states, including Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. For Assam, the choice of Shivakumar, Baghel and Tirkey is being seen as significant, given their proximity to Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and their expected role in guiding candidate selection and managing relationships with alliance partners.
The appointments come close on the heels of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra being named chairperson of the Congress screening committee for Assam, signalling a more centralised and hands-on approach to the state’s election strategy. Party sources say the observer team will focus on assessing ground realities, ensuring smoother coordination among state leaders and aligning the campaign with broader national priorities.
Assam’s political battle is unfolding amid a complex alliance scenario. The Congress has recently forged a broad pre-poll coalition with several parties, including the CPI(M), Raijor Dal, Assam Jatiya Parishad, CPI, CPI(ML) Liberation, Jatiya Dal-Asom and the All Party Hill Leaders Conference, to challenge the ruling BJP-led alliance.
The BJP currently holds 64 seats in the Assembly, with support from allies such as the Asom Gana Parishad, United People’s Party Liberal and Bodoland People’s Front. On the opposition side, the Congress has 26 MLAs, the AIUDF 15, the CPI(M) one, along with an Independent legislator.
