Priyanka Gandhi Vadra hit the road for campaigning in Uttar Pradesh on Monday, but is her undeniable charisma and resemblance to Indira Gandhi enough to turn around the fortunes of the Congress which has not tasted power in the State for a long time? Priyanka’s charm worked like magic and was on display on day one. Her newly-opened twitter account had thousands of followers even before she could send across her first tweet. But can the Priyanka buzz be enough for the Congress to break new ground in UP?
Positive vibes have emerged from the day her name was announced. She hit the right chord despite the Robert Vadra taint threatening to pull her down and decided to drive her husband to the Enforcement Directorate premises for questioning, making a strong political statement.
With a bumpy road ahead, Priyanka got a rousing welcome at Lucknow, a place which remained deserted from the Congress till now. The bonhomie between brother and sister was evident at the roadshow as ‘chai’ to chants of “chowkidar chor hai” reverberated through the streets with flag-waving supporters giving the Congress leaders an enthusiastic welcome. Priyanka remained a calm but muted leader soaking in the moment even as Rahul Gandhi did the bulk of the talking and slogan-shouting. She will be keenly watched for her outreach, and her oratory skills will be severely tested when she locks horns with BJP’s battery of star campaigners led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath.
The first positive for the Congress, however, is that back channel fillers have started doing the rounds between Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) over accommodating the Congress in the coalition. The UP door is still ajar. This will come as a huge breakthrough for the Congress which is trying to carve out a niche in a space which it is struggling to fit into.
It is undoubtedly a big test for Priyanka who is not new to politics. She had political roles earlier and was even part of the 1998 rally along with Sonia Gandhi, besides being involved in the 2007 and 2012 campaigns. She had a role in Amethi and Raebareli in the 2014 polls too. However, that’s the past and Priyanka faces bigger challenges ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in a new avatar. She will be taking crucial decisions on ticket distribution, campaign planning and strategising, assessment and negotiations with allies.
Congress may have pushed in a fresh face to rejuvenate the party cadre, but much will depend on how the party manages to cash in on the substantial Brahmin vote besides wooing the Dalit and Muslim voter. The star power of Priyanka was showing at the Lucknow road show, but whether she can stand up to the onslaught of the BJP is a question that remains unanswered.
