Will Priyanka Gandhi Vadra play a larger role post the current round of Assembly Elections? Certainly she has emerged as the party’s star campaigner in these elections, and is very much in demand in all the election bound states, those in Madhya Bharat as well as Telangana In fact, this is a model that was followed in Himachal Pradesh where she was on ground, with her brother and former party president Rahul Gandhi behind the scenes. At that time he was busy with the Bharat Jodo Yatra but since then there has been more of Priyanka on the campaign ground, and less of Rahul.
Yet, make no mistake – Rahul is still calling the shots within the party, there is no doubt about that. It is Team Rahul that is coordinating with the current Party President’s Office in the running of the party. Mallikarjun Kharge too is well aware of the role that the Gandhis play within the Congress and is not going to destabilize this boat. Rahul for his part, seems happier to be behind the scenes as a sort of ideologue at large. ANd with Sonia Gandhi stepping back from active politics, it does seem as if Priyanka would be the public face of the family.
An organisational reshuffle is due at the Congress Headquarters. We are told that this will take place post the Assembly elections. Will Priyanka be taken out of Uttar Pradesh and given a larger role, one that will not tie her down to a state that needs 24×7 nurturing? In the recent war of words between her and ex Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia the latter has pointed out that Priyanka could not revive the Congress fortunes in Uttar Pradesh and only managed to win one seat. She could not even save the then Congress President’s seat, said Scindia. That must have hurt for dont forget that Priyanka was made Uttar Pradesh incharge just a few months before the elections. She was not given any time to groom her leadership skills but was catapulted straight to the badlands of Uttar Pradesh as soon she was drafted into the Congress.
That apart, while she may not be able to sway the public mood in a large scale towards the Congress, what she can do is to galvanise the party cadre. She is seen as a bridge between the Rahul Congress and those who are sidelined by the latter. While there are some who may try and paint this as a turf war between the Rahul & Priyanka camps her role is more in the nature of assuaging ruffled feathers and keeping the party divided. She has never questioned her brother’s authority or acted independently without his okay. Most of the appointments on her team are made by Team Rahul.
The other question that comes up is whether she will be fighting the next Lok Sabha. If Sonia Gandhi does not contest from Rae Bareli then there is all likelihood that Priyanka may contest from there for she has been managing the constituency for her mother. There is also a chance that she may take on Smriti Irani from Amethi. Certainly that would be fiesty battle to watch.
At the end, whatever the results of the assembly polls, it does seem as if Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will be playing a larger role within the Congress. It is also probable that this will be an organisational role. The Congress party’s candidate for Prime Minister – should the party project one in the near future – will probably be Mallikarjun Kharge who has proved to be a mature and seasoned leader and a consensus builder.
