The All India Congress Committee (AICC) on Saturday (January 3, 2026) has constituted a screening committee for the states where elections are to be held this year. These include Kerala, Assam, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal along with the Union Territory of Puducherry. Along with this, Congress has also given new responsibility to party general secretary and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Congress Organization General Secretary KC Venugopal has issued information in this regard.

Responsibility of Assam handed over to Priyanka Gandhi Vadra

KC Venugopal has released official information by posting a post on social media platform X on Saturday (January 3, 2026). In which the screening committee of each state has been mentioned. The organization general secretary wrote in the post that Congress Party National President Mallikarjun Kharge has appointed party general secretary and Lok Sabha MP from Wayanad Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as the chairperson of the screening committee constituted for Assam with immediate effect.

Hon’ble Congress President has constituted the Screening Committees for the upcoming Assembly Elections in Kerala, Assam, Tamil Nadu & Puducherry, and West Bengal, as enclosed, with immediate effect. pic.twitter.com/k21nu2lHxm

— INC Sandesh (@INCSandesh) January 3, 2026

Apart from Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Lok Sabha MP Saptagiri Shankar Ulaka, MP Imran Masood and Dr. Sirivella Prasad have been appointed as members in the four-member committee formed for Assam.

BK Hariprasad will lead West Bengal

At the same time, for the upcoming assembly elections in West Bengal, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has formed a four-member screening committee under the leadership of Karnataka Legislative Council member BK Hariprasad. Along with this, Lok Sabha MP Dr. Mohammad Javed, Jharkhand MLA Mamta Devi and BP Singh have been appointed as members.

Former Rajya Sabha MP will lead the screening committee in Kerala

According to the notification issued by Congress Organization General Secretary KC Venugopal, party president Mallikarjun Kharge has appointed former Rajya Sabha MP Madhusudan Mistry as the head of the party’s screening committee for the Kerala elections. Along with whom Rajya Sabha MP from Karnataka Dr. Syed Naseer Hussain, Rajya Sabha MP Neeraj Dangi and Congress leader Abhishek Dutt have been appointed as members.

TS Singh Deo will lead the committee in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry

At the same time, the Congress high command has constituted a screening committee under the leadership of former Chhattisgarh cabinet minister TS Singh Deo for the assembly elections to be held in Tamil Nadu and Union Territory Puducherry. With whom former Maharashtra cabinet minister Yashomati Thakur, Rajya Sabha MP GC Chandrashekhar and Anil Kumar Yadav will be there as members.

Also read: Big blow to Mamata Banerjee before Bengal elections, TMC’s Rajya Sabha MP Mausam Noor returns home to Congress.

A new case has come to light on Sunday (September 7, 2025) regarding the socio-economic survey to be held in Karnataka. The Apex Body of Lingayats has asked members of the influential community of Karnataka to reveal themselves as Veerashaiva-Lingayat in the upcoming socio-economic survey. This is because people of this community politically influential are demanding recognition from Hindus as a different religion.

The official letter in this regard has come out a few weeks before the caste calculation process starting from 22 September. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is going to start this survey in the state on the instructions of AICC, including Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi. Apart from this, a target has been set to complete this three months after the start of this survey process.

BJP’s Hindu vote bank may hover in danger

If the people of the Lingayat community accept the call made by their apex institution, then it will make a large number of different numbers from the main Hindu vote bank of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Lingayat community population claims to be 11 percent in the state

The All India Veerashaiva-Lingayat Mahasabha has made this call for the Lingayat community after the reports came to light, according to which the number of their communities in Karnataka was 11 percent in the state’s total population in the last survey conducted in the state, this figure is much lower than the state’s 18 percent SC population and 13 percent of the population of Muslims.

Lingayat community leaders objected to data

However, leaders of the Lingayat community have often claimed 17 percent stake in the total population of the state. Leaders of Lingayat community from North Karnataka, MB Patil and Lakshmi Habelkar, had openly disagreed on the population figures being claimed based on estimates. He emphasized that the population of the community is much more of the data mentioned in the report.

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