Politician Priyanka

She takes the political plunge when many of Rahul Gandhi’s decisions seem to be paying off for Congress

priyanka gandhi, priyanka gandhi congress up east, up congress, priyanka gandhi politics, priyanka gandhi politics entry, gandhi family, gandhi family politics, indian express, elections news — As the general secretary of the party, and being who she is, Priyanka could have been entrusted the entire state of UP.

Rahul Gandhi’s decision to induct Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as the party’s general secretary in charge of East UP shows a resolve to go for the jugular. It comes at a time when his leadership in the Congress is established after the party’s victories in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, though the BJP has criticised Rahul as a failure reaching out to his sister for help.

The “rajtilak” last month of three Congress chief ministers in the Hindi heartland has charged up party workers. At the popular level too, people are no longer dismissing him as “Pappu” or “Rahul Baba”.

As the general secretary of the party, and being who she is, Priyanka could have been entrusted the entire state of UP. Normally, general secretaries are given more than one state to look after. But the Congress’ most awaited entrant was given only one half of a state. The message is loud and clear. East UP means Varanasi and Varanasi equals Narendra Modi. Giving Priyanka charge of Eastern UP is tantamount to taking on the opponent on his turf.

Given her charisma, ability to think on her feet and come up with instant ripostes, and her resemblance to Indira Gandhi, the battle could become a Modi versus Priyanka fight in 2019, without her being declared as the prime ministerial candidate of the Congress or of the Opposition.

There is little doubt that even if Priyanka manages to create a favourable climate in UP, converting it into seats is another matter, given the party’s poor organisation. (Eastern UP does provide a window, for in 2009, most of the 21 Lok Sabha seats the Congress won were from this region.) She will have to contend with Modi and Shah as foes, who should not be underestimated. And with the SP-BSP alliance already in place without the Congress, it remains to be seen whether her entry will persuade Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati to revise their decision, or evolve an “informal” agreement on some seats with the Congress.

But the Priyanka decision is not only about energising the Congress in eastern UP. It is more about redrawing the battlelines for the 2019 confrontation. This may have a ripple effect outside UP, depending on the response she elicits in the next four weeks.