India, Jan. 4 -- Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has been appointed chairperson of the screening committee for selection of candidates for Assam, which goes to polls in barely three months. The eastern state is one of those set for high-stakes elections in 2026 - along with West Bengal, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Besides party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi for Assam, veteran leader Madhusudan Mistry has been named head of the screening committee for Kerala; former Chhattisgarh deputy chief minister TS Singh Deo for Tamil Nadu and Puducherry; and senior leader BK Hariprasad for West Bengal, news agency PTI reported on Sunday, January 4.

In Bengal, the fight is believed to be mainly between the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) of CM ...