Congress puts Azad in charge of UP, Kamal Nath in Punjab

New Delhi, June 12  With the Uttar Pradesh and Punjab assembly polls next year in view, the Congress on Sunday made senior leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Kamal Nath in charge of the party affairs in these states.

Kamal Nath, who was indicted by the Nanavati Commission on allegations that he was involved in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, has also been given charge of the party unit in Haryana, where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is in power.

The Punjab assembly elections next year are expected to be a tough battle between the ruling BJP-Shiromani Akali Dal alliance, the Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress.

In Uttar Pradesh, the Congress is hoping to perform well after its poor electoral showing in the recent five assembly polls.

The most populous state of India, Uttar Pradesh will see a tough fight between the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP), main opposition Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), as well as the BJP and Congress.

The Congress has also hired poll strategist Prashant Kishor as an advisor.

Earlier, Madhusudan Mistry and Shakeel Ahmad were in-charges of Uttar Pradesh and Punjab and Haryana.

The BJP is, meanwhile, aiming to repeat its 2014 Lok Sabha poll magic in Uttar Pradesh where it won 71 of the 80 seats.