Priyanka Gandhi to replace mother Sonia from home turf Rae Bareli in 2019 polls?

Having played a key role in sealing a deal with Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is most likely to play a significant role in campaigning during the Assembly elections in the state.

The Congress party said that ground workers want Priyanka to play a ‘larger role’ in politics, especially in Uttar Pradesh where the party has been out of power for the last 27 years.

"Congress workers are desirous of her playing a larger role in the party. There is a huge amount of support for her which is obvious. When her role is decided, you'll be informed," Congress spokesperson Ajoy Kumar said.

Priyanka, who has been the campaign in-charge for her mother Sonia Gandhi and brother Rahul Gandhi, has abstained herself from involving in organisational activities of the party till now. But Congress sources said that Priyanka’s active role in striking an alliance with the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh is her formal entry in national politics. 

Also, Priyanka (44) will this time not restrict her campaign only in Rae Bareily and Amethi – the Lok Sabha constituencies represented by her mother and younger brother, respectively. 

“Priyanka Gandhi will also campaign beyond Amethi and Rae Bareli,” a party source said, news agency IANS reported.

According to reports, besides Rahul and CM Akhilesh Yadav sharing dais in Uttar Pradesh, there will be joint campaigns with Dimple Yadav, wife of SP national president and Priyanka sharing the stage on few occasions.

"There will be star campaigners from both parties. The programme and schedule of the campaigns will be finalised soon. There could be few symbolic appearances of both Rahul and Akhilesh together," said a party source, news agency IANS reported.

Priyanka is regarded as the party’s ‘Brahmastra’, who, several top leaders say can help in regaining lost ground for the Congress in the politically important state.

Meanwhile, speculations are also rife that Priyanka may contest 2019 Lok Sabha election from Rae Bareli in place of her mother who has been forced to stay away from political engagements due to ill health.

Sonia’s health has been fragile for some time, which has forced to scale down her political activities, a Congress leader said on terms of anonymity, adding that ‘it makes the perfect situation for Priyanka to enter in active politics’.

Sonia, who had contested her first election from Amethi in 1999, shifted to Rae Bareli in 2004 to pave the way for Rahul’s debut in the Parliament. The election campaign of the both seats, which are considered as Gandhi family bastion, has been managed by Priyanka since 1999. 

The Rae Bareli constituency was earlier represented by Indira Gandhi. Priyanka’s debut from Rae Bareli will also pave the way for her to take over the charge of the Congress party from Sonia, in case Rahul is not keen to take up the responsibility. Congress sources said that Sonia’s fragile health pushed Priyanka to increase her involvement in party affairs. 

However, Congress sources ruled out possibility of Priyanka taking charge of the Congress instead of Rahul. According to a report of Times of India, senior leaders said that succession in Congress could happen at multiple levels, with Rahul’s taking charge of the party coinciding with Priyanka easing into a formal role.

Several top Congress leaders had in past favoured Priyanka getting into active politics but the Gandhi family could not decide on her role. They have said that Priyanka has the potential to emerge as a mass leader. 

In Uttar Pradesh, Congress had secured just two seats in the last Lok Sabha elections with Sonia and Rahul emerging victorious from their traditional seats of Rae Bareli and Amethi, respectively.

The Congress is in political wilderness in Uttar Pradesh since 1989 following emergence of divisive ‘Mandal-Mandir’ politics and rise of the BSP, which took away its crucial Dalit vote base.