New Delhi, Jan 14 (UNI) Congress today constituted a screening committee headed by senior party leader and former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot for the preliminary selection of its candidates for the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. The party supremo Sonia Gandhi and Vice President Rahul Gandhi have approved the appointment of Mr Gehlot as Chairman in the committee and that of sitting MP Sushmita Dev and party leader Deepak Babaria as its members, a party spokesman announced here. Mr Gehlot is also heading the party's screening committee for impending assembly polls in Punjab. The ex-Chief Minister has expressed satisfaction over his new appointment and exuded confidence about his party's better performance at the hustings in Uttar Pradesh this time. Talking to UNI over telephone Mr Gehlot said "I have always tried my best to achieve all tasks assigned by the party leadership at the state level or the Central level to best of my ability and this time too would try to live-up to the leadership's expectations" "I am sure that the Congress would performed much better in UP Assembly polls than its show in the last 2012 elections", he added. The elections in the most populated state of the country, will be held in seven phases between February 11 and March 8, 2017. UNI NAZ-AR SS