Now the big question in front of the Congress is that will Priyanka Gandhi Vadra enhance the chances of making a comeback for the party in UP Assembly election next yearIJ Some psephologists like Prashant Kishore says she will, provided the Congress projects a ‘Brahmin’ as the party’s chief ministerial candidate. It seems the party may most probably rope in aging Sheila Dikshit, the three-time former Chief Minister of Delhi as its ‘CM face’ for the poll bound state. She qualifies for the post first being a Brahmin and second, most importantly as the UP ki Bahu. Besides the poll pundits suggest that Priyanka be made the ‘Chief’ of the election campaign committee for UP. But let’s see how Priyanka factor can help the dying grand old party of the countryIJ
There is nothing new about the campaigning of Priyanka as she had been largely doing the same in both Rai Bareilly and Amethi, the family turfs for quite long time. It is neither making much of a difference nor improving the tally of the party as whole in UP. With the declaration of Priyanka as the campaign committee chief, the entire opposition will bring it open the ‘slew of corruption cases’ against her husband Robert Vadra. This will be somewhat an awkward situation for the party though it is already very used to the tainted status of the ‘party’s son-law’IJ Besides her coming to active politics will force the party to script a larger and crucial role for the ‘UP ki Bahu’at the national level. This will go a long way either to scuttle Rahul Gandhi’s role or his declining influence in party affairs.
last and final challenge before Priyanka is to raise the tally of the party from a mere 28 seats in the last Assembly elections to a minimum 100 seats in 2017. At least, Congress under Priyanka, should be qualified to become a junior partner in the new government in UP. As the role of Rahul Gandhi is suggested to be minimum in UP election, therefore it is indirectly bringing home the hard fact that in the most crucial Assembly election of the country, he is fast losing his leadership role and importance for sure. In the worst case scenario, if Priyanka also fails to register any or minimum success for the party, this might lead to the beginning of the end of the Gandhi scions in India’s political domain. The saddest part of the whole discourse is that still the Congress party is looking forward to the Gandhis, whether ailing or declining, it does hardly matter to them. This sense of leaderlessness and hopelessness should come to an end in Congress. Hope the rest of the Congress leaders come out of the Gandhis soon and realise that even they too can move the party. The ‘Congress Universe’ is much more and of course beyond the leadership (IJ) of Rahul and Priyanka. At the end, the test for the real bahu of UP will be on and worth watching.