Priyanka's entry into politics - Master Stroke of Congress

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Priyanka's entry into politics - Master Stroke of Congress

Omkar Dattatray

2/16/2019 11:43:56 PM

Finally congress - the grand old party of the country which boasts itself of having led and fought freedom struggle has appointed Gandhi scion Priyanka Gandhi daughter of Sonia Gandhi as the party's general secretary for east UP. But her entry into active politics and her anointment as the party's general secretary is a bit late but a right decision. She should have been inducted into active politics much earlier. But now she has entered politics and has assumed the organizational post formally. It is to be seen how will she deliver and come to the expectations of the party rank and file and how her late entry into politics will pay dividends in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. It is a fact that earlier Priyanka Gandhi campaigned for her mother Sonia Gandhi - the chairperson of Congress in her constituency Rae Bareli and her brother's prestigious constituency Amethi. She was before being appointed general secretary for east UP informally working for the Congress party and was a shadow of her mother Sonia Gandhi and her brother Rahul Gandhi.
Priyanka's entry into active politics and her appointment to the organizational post is not a mere coincidence but is well thought of and is with an eye on the Lok Sabha elections in the crucial state of UP which is rightly considered as the gateway to Delhi Darbar. Priyanka's entry is in fact a master stroke of congress and it will definitely have some effect upon the Congress fortunes in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in UP and elsewhere also. But will the Priyanka's googly stump out BJP in UP and turn the tide in favor of Congress which will be locked in a three cornered electoral battle given the fact that the SP-BSP tie up in UP and seat sharing of 38 seats each out of total 80 seats and leaving only four seats to others and only two Lok Sabha seats of Amethi and Rae Bareli to congress. Priyanka has a good and beautiful demeanor and physique and her physical resemblance to her grandmother - the iron lady of Indian and ex-prime minister is a plus point for the congress and it will be a crowd puller in the upcoming elections. But will it translate into electoral dividends and votes, is a million dollar question. But the writing on the wall is that Priyanka Gandhi is a good orator and her fire spit speeches will help the Congress party in UP and will rob some sheen out of the Narinder Modi the star campaigner and master strategist of BJP. But then Priyanka is not Indira Gandhi and India is no longer Indira any more as was the political narrative in 70s when India fought the battle with Pakistan and divided that country and helped in the creation of Bangladesh. In those good olden days she was equated with Maha-kali and Shakti and rightly so. But the same is not true of Priyanka who is in a way novice to active politics and has little experience of political intricacies but still her formal entry into politics particularly in UP will have some positive effects upon Congress fortunes. When the congress has been excluded from the alliance by SP-BSP bonhomie and the united India rally in Kolkata has left congress stone cold. Thus, in such a political atmosphere Priyanka is seen as the big hope in UP by congress poll pundits and managers. Congress finds itself abandoned by its traditional voters and by the anti-BJP combine of SP-BSP. The fact that how will the congress princess work in UP and how will she mix up with the gullible and poor voters will definitely have some positive effect upon the electoral outcomes. All that Priyanka needs to do is to present herself as the people's princess and not a Gandhian and dynastic princess. It will definitely affect the poll prospectus in the crucial state of UP.
But the battle in the three cornered contest in UP will be very tough and Priyanka Gandhi will have to demonstrate her mettle in the elections which are only a few months away from now. Given her energetic young age and her physical appearance which resembles her grandmother Indira Gandhi, Congress seems to be sure that Priyanka's formal entry into political erna and her appointment as general secretary of the party in UP east will pay dividends. But one thing is clear that she should abandon her image as a dynastic princess and mix up with the voters and this will have accelerated impact upon the voters and that will definitely translate into votes. But then there are pros and cons of her appointment as a party's general secretary. However, Priyanka will definitely revive the congress party in UP and will energize the party before general elections. But then her entry into party fold is seen as the perpetuation of the dynastic politics of congress and the BJP will get a handle to further accuse Congress of dynastic politics and of not giving importance to other young congressmen. Further Priyanka Gandhi is the wife of Robert Vadra against whom there are allegations of malpractice, land grabbing and wrong doings and this minus point will be raised by the BJP in election in UP and this will have some adverse impact upon the poll prospects of congress in the electoral battle. Purposely Priyanka has been given charge of eastern UP which has the two strong holds of BJP in Gorakhpur and Varanasi.
It is also to be seen from where will she contest the upcoming elections but there are speculations ripe that she may contest from Amethi or her mother Sonia Gandhi's constituency of Rae Bareli. But the speculation has been put to rest by the announcement made by Prinyanka Gandhi of not contesting Lok Sabha elections.
However, one thing is certain that the congress party and Priyanka will have to use all arms in its armory to fight the elections in UP and give some edge to Congress. Now that she has entered the active politics, she should come up to the expectations of the congress's rank and file and for this she should become a people's princess rather than projecting herself as the dynastic princess and this will definitely have some positive impact upon the voters who will take her as one among them. For this she has to bend herself and become one with them. This will pay dividends to congress. She is an energetic leader and she should show her relevance in the surcharged political atmosphere of UP. The organizational post along with her informal role will have some good effect upon the electoral battle in UP and its effect elsewhere in the country. Priyanka's appointment as the party's general secretary in east UP is seen as a master stroke by congress reflecting party objective to go whole hog in the crucial state of UP.
Priyanka's entry will boost the sagging morale of the party men in UP ahead of elections. Uttar Pradesh was a congress bastion till 1980s and today the position is totally reverse and in such a political atmosphere Priyanka's entry is nothing short of a masterstroke and it is to be seen will she be a game changer for congress or not especially in UP where the vote share of congress was decimal low and was in single digit.

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