Assam polls: Congress appoints Shivakumar, Baghel, Tirkey as senior observers

The Congress has begun laying the groundwork for the Assam assembly elections with a decisive organisational move, appointing Karnataka deputy chief minister D.K. Shivakumar, former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel and former Jharkhand MLA Bandhu Tirkey as senior observers for the state.

The appointments, announced by AICC general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal, form part of a broader reshuffle in the party’s election machinery across five states and Union Territories — Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry — all set to go to the polls in the first half of the year.

The move comes soon after the party named Lok Sabha MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as chairperson of the screening committee for the Assam elections, further signalling her central role in shaping the Congress campaign.

Shivakumar, Baghel and Tirkey are widely seen as close confidants of Vadra, who also serves as an AICC general secretary, adding weight to their deployment in the politically crucial northeastern state.

Assam’s electoral battle, spread across 126 constituencies, is expected to unfold over March and April. In preparation, the Congress has stitched together a broad opposition alliance, joining hands last month with the CPI(M), Raijor Dal, Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), CPI, CPI(ML) Liberation, Jatiya Dal-Asom (JDA) and the Karbi Anglong-based All Party Hill Leaders Conference (APHLC) to take on the ruling BJP-led combine.

At present, the BJP commands a narrow majority in the Assembly with 64 MLAs, bolstered by its allies — the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) with nine members, the United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL) with seven, and the Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) with three. On the opposition benches, the Congress holds 26 seats, the AIUDF 15, the CPI(M) one, along with an independent legislator.

As the countdown to polling begins, the Congress appears intent on tightening its ranks and sharpening its strategy, betting on experienced hands and a united front to challenge the saffron party’s dominance in Assam.

With PTI inputs