Overview
- An AICC notification issued late Saturday by K. C. Venugopal created four-member screening committees for Assam, Kerala, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
- The Assam panel pairs Priyanka Gandhi Vadra with Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka, Imran Masood and Sirivella Prasad to shortlist candidates.
- General secretaries or in-charges, PCC presidents, CLP leaders and attached AICC secretaries will serve ex officio to blend central oversight with state inputs.
- The 126-seat state is expected to vote in March–April, and Congress has built a common platform with CPI(M), Raijor Dal, AJP, CPI, CPI(ML) Liberation, JDA and the APHLC.
- Political reactions followed swiftly, with the BJP alleging a 'Rahul vs Priyanka' rift that Congress leaders rejected as a misreading of routine organisational deployment.