Congress forms screening committee for UP Assembly polls

Days after the BJP announced in-charges for Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, the Congress on Friday set up a screening committee for the elections in the state with AICC General Secretary Jitendra Singh as its chairman.

Rajya Sabha MP Deepender Singh Hooda and Maharashtra MLA Varsha Gaikwad have also been appointed as members of the panel, which also has the party general secretary in-charge for Uttar Pradesh as its ex-official member.

State Congress chief Ajay Kumar Lallu, Congress Legislature Party leader in Uttar Pradesh Aradhna Misra AICC secretaries for Uttar Pradesh have been nominated as ex-officio members of the committee.

The panel will soon start preparing a shortlist of Congress candidates for the Assembly polls.

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Last week, the BJP announced Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan as the party poll in-charge and assisted by seven co-in charges, including Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur, Ministers of State Sobha Karandlaje, Arjunram Meghwal and Annapurna Devi, Rajya Sabha MPs Saroj Pande and Vivek Thakur and former Haryana Minister Captain Abhimanyu. The saffron party also announced six region-wise in-charges.

A recent survey by ABP-CVoter claimed that BJP is likely to win UP, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur while its prospects in Punjab appeared to be dim.

In UP, it is predicted to lose some 50-60 seats from 312 while it is likely to improve its tally and have a comfortable majority in Goa and Manipur.

BJP may also lose some seats in Uttarkhand but would not have trouble in forming a government, the survey has claimed, adding that Congress could lose Punjab, which it is ruling at present.

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