Will The Latest Gandhi In Politics Change The Congress’ Fortunes?

It’s a political debut that has been the subject of speculation for nearly a decade, peaking after the Congress’ largest ever drop in Lok Sabha seats in 2014. Soon after the previous general election, when the Congress was reduced to 44 seats in the Lok Sabha, posters demanding Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s political plunge cropped up.

The demand has been met over four years later with the Congress president’s sister and daughter of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi being appointed general secretary of the party in charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh. This part of the state has 33 Lok Sabha seats, where Priyanka will be responsible for increasing her party’s tally. In 2014, the party managed to bag just two out of the 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh.

The choice of eastern Uttar Pradesh for Priyanka is well thought out, said senior political journalist Arati Jerath. The population of upper caste voters, Jerath said, is higher in eastern Uttar Pradesh and these are the voters Vadra may be targeting.

For long, the younger Gandhi sibling remained in the background, emerging in the public eye only to campaign for her brother and mother in their constituencies at Amethi and Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh. The announcement of her official entry to politics, just months before the elections, has added to the perception that she is the Congress’ “secret weapon”.

While calculating the impact of Priyanka’s political debut on the Congress’ fortunes in Uttar Pradesh or the rest of the country may be premature, it would boost the morale of the party cadre, said political analyst Amitabh Tiwari. After the wins in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, her presence would be a boost for Congress workers, he said. But it may also be advantageous to the Bharatiya Janata Party by turning the contest for Uttar Pradesh into a three-cornered fight.

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