The political decision making of the Gandhi family will now change its course. The positions and the responsibilities may be allocated and given to different leaders and party workers. As far as the face of the Congress party Rahul Gandhi is concerned, it is unlikely that he may take the responsibility of the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha. According to sources, Rahul Gandhi plans to engage in Congress politics similarly to his mother, Sonia Gandhi.
He will be the public face of the party but will avoid taking on formal responsibilities. Those familiar with the inner workings of Congress believe that Priyanka Gandhi will step forward and take on responsibilities whenever the opportunity arises. Currently, Priyanka is dedicated to strengthening the party, working alongside her brother Rahul and recognizing him as her leader. She has demonstrated her commitment on numerous occasions, showing that she is willing to work tirelessly without hesitation. Her dedication was evident when she took on the responsibility for Rae Bareli and Amethi.
According to experts, the style of both brother and sister in politics is quite varied.
They both have their own way of working and decision making. If we talk about Rahul Gandhi, who has been in politics for over two decades. For a decade he enjoyed power but avoided responsibility. He entered politics in 2004 when the party regained power. Over the next ten years, he neither became a minister at the center nor did he take the opportunity to become Prime Minister in 2009.
In 2013, at his mother’s urging, he assumed responsibility for the party, which then suffered a significant defeat in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Although he wasn’t directly responsible for the defeat, numerous incidents during the UPA regime, such as Anna Hazare’s movement, Arvind Kejriwal’s anti-corruption campaign, and the Nirbhaya case, harmed the Congress party. These events benefited the BJP at the national level and Kejriwal in Delhi.
Following the defeat, Sonia Gandhi stepped down as president, passing the mantle to Rahul Gandhi. However, Rahul struggled to manage the organization. The party’s decline continued due to his straightforward and simplistic political approach. Unlike his mother, he couldn’t make timely decisions and maintained inflexible behavior, often avoiding meetings with experienced party leaders or discussing issues with them. This led to the disintegration of his mother’s established team. Rahul or his strategists seemed to believe that the Congress would return to power without needing to engage with anyone, a formula that failed as the party continued to fragment.
In 2019, after another defeat under his leadership, Rahul resigned as president but continued to run the party on his terms, which did not yield significant benefits.
The party lost in several key states. In 2024, the Congress formed the India Alliance by partnering with various groups nationwide, diverging from its usual policies and engaging in caste politics. Despite securing 99 seats, the party faced criticism for the mismatched alliances. Post-elections, the alliance with Kejriwal’s AAP dissolved.
The fate of alliances in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra remains uncertain until the state elections. There is also doubt whether Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena will continue its partnership with Congress in Maharashtra, especially since Thackeray has expressed intentions to contest all 288 seats independently.
For now, winning 99 seats has provided a much-needed boost to both Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party. Priyanka Gandhi played a significant role in this achievement. When she became active in the elections after initially distancing herself from the Nyay Yatra, party workers, especially in Uttar Pradesh, were revitalized. Priyanka’s political approach is distinct from her brother’s. She has built a team by engaging with leaders across different states and strengthened the alliance by collaborating with Akhilesh Yadav in the Lok Sabha elections. Having closely observed politics through her father Rajiv Gandhi and mother Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka’s speeches and strategies for engaging with leaders differ significantly from Rahul’s.
Sources indicate that Priyanka initially sought a Rajya Sabha seat, but Rahul dissuaded her. She was then willing to contest from Rae Bareli, but the family decided against it, believing that having all family members in Parliament would send the wrong message. However, it is now likely that Priyanka will contest from whichever seat Rahul vacates, either Wayanad or Rae Bareli, with a high probability of her contesting from Wayanad. Rahul is expected to retain Rae Bareli and continue his focus on North Indian politics. If Priyanka runs, she is anticipated to win her seat, and her entry into the Lok Sabha would make Congress politics more dynamic. It is clear that she will not become the leader of the house.
Regarding Rahul’s potential successor, Gaurav Gogoi and Manish Tewari are in contention, with Shashi Tharoor also being a notable candidate. All three possess strong proficiency in both Hindi and English. It remains to be seen whom Rahul will endorse. Meanwhile, Sonia Gandhi has been elected as the leader of the parliamentary party, so Rahul will now take her place in the first row of the Lok Sabha, while another leader assumes the primary responsibilities.