- For the quintessential Congress partymen, the Gandhi family and the hallowed surname associated with any personality serve as a glue holding such diverse elements together despite facing monumental challenges for regrouping and reclaiming past legacy. The Indian political history is replete with instances of how the Grand Old Party has witnessed several breakaway factions denting the prospect but somehow found a way to hold on with a Gandhi surname tagging along. Of course, successive defeats at the hustings have severely curtailed the once invincible powers enjoyed by the Gandhi Family to a great extent. Remember, how the Grand Old Party was led by such Gandhi luminaries viz. Indira Gandhi, Rajeev Gandhi, and Sonia Gandhi previously.
PC: The Hans India
- Yes, the Scion hasn’t exactly set the Indian political stage on fire but continues to stay relevant showing glimpses of spark to keep the party interested in the national firmament. Now, his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has entered the poll arena contesting the Wayanad Parliamentary bypoll. Of course, Priyanka has been extensively involved in campaigning for the party candidates over the last few years. Her appointment as a general secretary made it all apparent that she was earmarked to step up into the hurly-burly of politics in the future. Priyanka’s Wayanad campaign and her future as a politician depend on her not being seen as her brother’s shadow. Yes, Priyanka did mention that she has been campaigning for 35 years now since the age of 17.
- With bruising defeats and rare wins under her belt as poll in-charge in a couple of states, Priyanka joins the electoral contest via the LS bypoll in Wayanad as a seasoned politician. From her very first campaign step, Priyanka has enjoyed a people connection that Rahul could establish only after walking 4,000 km and some. But can Priyanka expect an easy win? No. Wayanad is no cakewalk even if Rahul won by over 3.6L votes in the LS polls. For starters, Wayanad is the only seat where even Congress’s national allies Left Front are rivals. Here will be the Congress campaign most dissected. Regardless of her popularity, a consistently devastated by a natural disaster demands hard politics. Notably, allegations of graft in relief work chased the local government.
PC: The New Indian Express
- Mind you, talking graft will surely rake up allegations against her spouse – her very own baggage. Priyanka may find her years of campaigning melt away as she runs her campaign, knowing she’ll have to bring in her own brand of politics to really burnish her credentials. Will she succeed in emerging under the shadows of brother Rahul? Indeed, Priyanka’s future in electoral politics depends on her not being surrounded by brotherly vibes. So, Rahul’s comment that electing her will ensure Wayanad gets two MPs – one official, one unofficial – may have been meant to communicate sister-brother commitment to Wayanad but could be construed as her being the proxy for Rahul. Teamwork is good, shadow MP, not so much. All eyes are on Wayanad for now!
