Priyanka Gandhi has been in politics for a long time. It was mostly unofficial and she did not get much publicity for it. During elections she campaigned in Amethi and Rae Bareli. Once in a meeting with elders she said her cousin Feroze Varun Gandhi has gone astray. They should bring him back.
Many Congress members wanted Priyanka to be in politics for a long time. There were periodic demands. They think her charisma will get victory for Congress. She worked in background. She did not get credit when things went right or blame when things went wrong.
Rahul Gandhi wanted to go it alone in Uttar Pradesh. He had hired Prashant Kishor for strategy. Prashant’s slogan meant for 27 years UP has been miserable. (Sattavees saal UP behaal). He suggested Rahul Gandhi as No. 1 CM candidate, Priyanka Gandhi as No. 2 CM candidate and Sheila Dikshit as No. 3 CM candidate. Priyanka did not want that. She wanted alliance with SP. Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav were projected as UP’s young men and Narendra Modi as outsider. The alliance was a disaster. Both parties lost heavily. Congress votes did not go to SP and vice versa. Besides, there was infighting in SP with Shivpal Yadav’s candidates fighting against Akhilesh Yadav’s candidates. BJP won with more than three-fourth majority. Yogi Adityanath became UP CM.
When Punjab Assembly elections were near there was talk of Navjot Singh Sidhu joining AAP. Sidhu’s meetings with AAP leaders got publicity. AAP leaders were sure Sidhu will join them. They took his entry for granted. Priyanka contacted Sidhu. Their meetings remained secret. Sidhu joined Congress. Congress won in Punjab. Sidhu became a minister.
Lok Sabha elections are due in April-May. SP and BSP entered into an alliance and kept Congress out of it. They left Amethi and Rae Bareli seats for Congress. Congress announced it will contest all seats in UP.
With her official entry into Congress, Priyanka is general secretary in charge of eastern UP. Jyotiraditya Scindia is general secretary in charge of western UP. May be if things go wrong in UP, half of the blame will go to Scindia.
Recently Congress won in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan without Priyanka. Congress has some good leaders. Victory and defeat are part of elections. Effect of Priyanka’s entry into politics remains to be seen.
Some parties want to defeat BJP and they are ready to align with Congress. Some parties want non-BJP, non-Congress Third Front. Naveen Patnaik said BJD will not align with any party. Priyanka will have a say in selection of Congress candidates and alliances of Congress at state or national level.
