The Congress’ Central Election Committee (CEC) will meet on Saturday at the home of interim president Sonia Gandhi to examine the ‘likely candidates’ for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

The party has investigated the potential candidates for 150 assembly seats, according to high insiders. Control rooms for the poll strategy and operations have been set up in 78 assembly segments out of the 150 seats. Candidates for a few seats have been given the green light by the party, and they have been instructed to go to ground zero and begin preparations for the election war.

“Although the Poll dates have not been announced, we are committed to fighting the Polls to win. So we are finalising the list much before the time so that the candidates get enough time to reach out to the voters,” the source added.

Congress wants to move slowly, so preparations are underway at all levels. A training campaign with the theme “Prashikshan se Parakram Tak” has already completed two stages, in which party workers at the district and block levels have been trained.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the Congress general secretary, will go to Lucknow in two days for a week of marathon activities and talks with members of the Uttar Pradesh Election Committee and other committees and office-bearers. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will start the Pratigya Yatra from Barabanki on October 23.

The Congress has formed a screening committee for the upcoming UP Assembly elections, which would be chaired by party leader Bhanwar Jitendra Singh. The committee, which has met twice, includes Congress leaders Deepender Hooda, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Varsha Gaikwad, and Ajay Singh Lallu.

Salman Khurshid, the state’s senior leader, has also been tasked with preparing a “people’s manifesto,” which will contain the party’s vision for the state. He is doing so with Supriya Shrinate, the party’s national spokeswoman, and AICC-Co-Incharges of UP Rohit Chaudhry and Dheeraj Gurjar on a tour of the state’s districts.

Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections are scheduled to take place early next year.

(With ANI inputs)