Days after leading G23 in Jammu, Azad says Congress victory in upcoming assembly polls a top priority

Days after leading the Congress' 'Shanti Sammelan' in Jammu attended by senior party leaders, Congress veteran Ghulam Nabi Azad on Friday said the party's victory in forthcoming Assembly elections in four states and one Union Territory is his top priority at the moment.

"Victory of Congress party in forthcoming assembly elections is my priority at the moment," he told .

Senior Congress leader Azad who recently retired from Rajya Sabha and has been advocating reforms in Congress including immediate internal elections.

He also said he is available wherever he is invited by candidates or the party for campaigning.

Azad is one of the key members of 'G-23' (or the group of 23 dissenting leaders, who had questioned the party's functioning in a letter to interim president Sonia Gandhi) calling for sweeping reforms in the party.

Last week Ghulam Nabi Azad along with other senior leaders openly expressed displeasure with the current state of affairs within Congress.

Recently at another public event, Azad drew parallels between himself and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating that the latter has not forgotten his roots and proudly calls himself a "chaiwala" as well as he does not hide his true self.

Following the statement, Congress party workers burnt his effigy and raised slogans against him in a protest in Jammu.

Many senior party leaders including Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president (JKPCC) Ghulam Ahmad Mir called the remark an "anti-party activity" and demanded clarification from him.

A total of 824 assembly constituencies will be going for polls in four states--Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam-- and the Union Territory of Puducherry between March 28 and April 29. Results will be declared on May 2.

( With inputs from ANI )