Political sparring sharpened as leaders of the ruling National Democratic Alliance trained their criticism on Priyanka Gandhi Vadra following her appointment as chairperson of the Congress screening committee tasked with selecting candidates for the Assam Assembly elections due next year. The move, announced by the Congress leadership, has drawn pointed remarks from senior figures in the alliance, who framed the decision as emblematic of dynastic politics and internal discord within the opposition party.Industries minister and former Bihar BJP chief Dilip Jaiswal said the appointment underscored what he described as a fading belief in inherited leadership. “The era when a king’s son automatically became the ruler has passed,” he said, arguing that political authority now depended on organisational depth and electoral performance rather than lineage. His remarks echoed a line frequently deployed by the BJP and its allies against the Congress, which they accuse of revolving key roles around members of the Gandhi family.
JD national spokesman Rajeev Ranjan Prasad took the critique further, suggesting that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s new responsibility reflected an internal struggle for influence within the Congress organisation. According to Prasad, the screening committee role placed her at the centre of ticket distribution in a politically sensitive state, a position that could reshape factional equations ahead of the polls. He argued that the decision pointed to unresolved questions about authority between the party’s leadership layers.
Alliance leaders frame the move as dynastic politics was the refrain as NDA figures sought to link the appointment with broader claims about how the Congress functions. Assam has become a focal point for such attacks, given its strategic importance in the North-East and the BJP’s efforts to consolidate its hold after retaining power in the state in the last Assembly election. For the alliance, challenging the Congress narrative there serves both regional and national objectives.
Within the Congress, leaders have defended the appointment as a routine organisational decision aimed at tightening oversight of candidate selection. Party functionaries have said the screening committee is expected to assess winnability, social representation and local dynamics, particularly in a state marked by ethnic diversity, migration debates and complex alliances. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who has overseen organisational work in several states, is seen by supporters as bringing campaign experience and visibility to a crucial process.
Assam’s political landscape has shifted over the past decade, with the BJP expanding its footprint through alliances with regional parties and by foregrounding issues such as citizenship, identity and development. The Congress, which governed the state for long stretches before 2016, has struggled to regain ground, often hampered by leadership churn and defections. Candidate selection is therefore viewed within the party as a decisive factor in rebuilding credibility and coherence.
The NDA’s criticism also reflects the sharpening of rhetoric ahead of a high-stakes electoral cycle across multiple states. By highlighting Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s role, alliance leaders aim to reinforce a contrast between what they describe as merit-based leadership within their ranks and family-centric politics in the opposition. This line has been used repeatedly in national campaigns and is now being localised to Assam’s context.
Political analysts note that screening committees, while influential, do not operate in isolation. Final decisions on candidates typically involve consultations with state units, alliance partners and the central leadership. As chairperson, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra would oversee deliberations but not act unilaterally, according to party insiders. Even so, her presence signals an attempt by the Congress to inject central authority into a process that has previously been criticised for inconsistency.