BANGALORE - The Congress party appears to be readying to deploy its most powerful vote catcher, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, in the crucial electoral battle for the Uttar Pradesh state assembly.
The entry of 40-year-old Priyanka, the daughter of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and younger sister of general secretary Rahul Gandhi, has triggered speculation over a possible larger role in politics.
She told the media last week that she is "open to the idea" of campaigning for the Congress outside Amethi and Rae Bareli - her mother and brother's parliamentary constituencies,
respectively. "I'll do anything for my brother, whatever is required of me. I'll do whatever he requires me to do." she said.
Priyanka has restricted her role in politics. She is not involved in active politics but emerges during general elections every five years to campaign for her mother and brother.
Speculation is rife over whether that could now change.
Some expect her to campaign for the Congress in other parts of Uttar Pradesh too, where elections will be held in seven phases that begin on February 8 and end on March 3.
A charismatic leader, Priyanka connects with the masses easily whether at rallies or in informal interactions. She is often likened to her grandmother, Indira Gandhi, one of India's most powerful prime ministers. There is a strong resemblance between the two not just in terms of their appearance, their choice of saris or their gait but in their toughness.
She has shown capacity to sway votes and determine the electoral fortunes of candidates.
A single emotional speech by Priyanka in the 1999 parliamentary elections changed the tide in Rae Bareli, where her estranged uncle and Bharatiya Janata Party candidate, Arun Nehru, was pitted against Gandhi family loyalist Satish Sharma.
At a public rally Priyanka asked voters how they could allow Nehru to enter Rae Bareli. He had betrayed her father, former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, she reminded voters. That speech changed the mood in Rae Bareli overnight. Nehru, who was the frontrunner until then, was trounced in the election.
Five states will elect new assemblies in the coming month but it is the Uttar Pradesh assembly election which is the most crucial. It is widely regarded as the semi-final ahead of parliamentary elections in 2014. Uttar Pradesh accounts for 80 seats or a fifth of India's lower house of parliament.
It is often said that the road to power in Delhi goes through Uttar Pradesh, hence the no-holds-barred bitter electoral battle that is being waged now in the state. Rival parties are using every trick in the book to woo voters from promising job quotas for religious minorities to corruption-free governance to a graft-weary electorate.
The Congress began wooing the voters long before election dates were announced. Its star campaigner is Rahul, who has been visiting college campuses, sleeping overnight in homes of Dalits (former "untouchables") and generally drawing attention to the UP government's failings for over a year now.
Analysts are describing the UP election as Rahul's most important test yet. If the party is able to triple its tally from its current 22 seats in the 403-member Uttar Pradesh assembly, Rahul will be considered to have passed. This would silence his critics, say Congress leaders. He will be seen to have earned his spurs as the battle for poverty-stricken, caste-ridden, corrupt Uttar Pradesh is a tough challenge.
Congress sources say they do not expect the party to win the election. But they do see themselves as kingmakers in Uttar Pradesh.
According to the Congress' game-plan, a robust performance could see it help the opposition Samajwadi Party form the state government. In return, the Samajwadi Party would join India's ruling United Progressive Alliance coalition, helping the tottering Manmohan Singh government survive the rest of its term.
There is therefore a lot at stake for the Congress in the Uttar Pradesh elections.
And this is why the Congress rank and file is hoping for an expansion in Priyanka's role in the election. Her entry is expected to give the Congress' poll prospects a shot in the arm.
But there is concern too that she will eclipse her brother. Unlike Priyanka, who is confident and effortlessly strikes a chord with the masses, Rahul is still ill at ease in politics. He is working hard to prepare himself for the day he becomes prime minister but he remains unsure of himself. Little is known of his views on issues of key importance to India.
Comparisons between the siblings, who are said to be very close, are inevitable. Will Priyanka's assumption of a larger political role expose Rahul's flaws? Can the party afford to have their crown prince's younger sister take away the limelight from him?
Priyanka has often been described as the Congress' brahmastra - the ultimate weapon in Hindu mythology. The brahmastra was a weapon that assured its wielder victory but one which he could use only once. The power of the brahmastra lay in its strategic deployment.
Likewise, Priyanka's value as a vote catcher will be lost if this card is over played. Priyanka's appeal is enhanced by the fact that she has stayed away from Indian politics. She has said in the past that she likes her ordinary life, reading, studying and looking after her children.
If she does campaign beyond Amethi and Rae Bareli, it is likely that she will do so in a few crucial constituencies.
It is only in the next general election, when Rahul is likely to lead the Congress as its prime ministerial candidate that the Congress can be expected to unleash the full power of its brahmastra.
Sudha Ramachandran is an independent journalist/researcher based in Bangalore. She can be reached [email protected][/I][/I][/I][/I][/I][/SIZE][URL="http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/NA26Df04.html"]
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/NA26Df04.html[/URL]
The entry of 40-year-old Priyanka, the daughter of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and younger sister of general secretary Rahul Gandhi, has triggered speculation over a possible larger role in politics.
She told the media last week that she is "open to the idea" of campaigning for the Congress outside Amethi and Rae Bareli - her mother and brother's parliamentary constituencies,
Dilbert
respectively. "I'll do anything for my brother, whatever is required of me. I'll do whatever he requires me to do." she said.
Priyanka has restricted her role in politics. She is not involved in active politics but emerges during general elections every five years to campaign for her mother and brother.
Speculation is rife over whether that could now change.
Some expect her to campaign for the Congress in other parts of Uttar Pradesh too, where elections will be held in seven phases that begin on February 8 and end on March 3.
A charismatic leader, Priyanka connects with the masses easily whether at rallies or in informal interactions. She is often likened to her grandmother, Indira Gandhi, one of India's most powerful prime ministers. There is a strong resemblance between the two not just in terms of their appearance, their choice of saris or their gait but in their toughness.
She has shown capacity to sway votes and determine the electoral fortunes of candidates.
A single emotional speech by Priyanka in the 1999 parliamentary elections changed the tide in Rae Bareli, where her estranged uncle and Bharatiya Janata Party candidate, Arun Nehru, was pitted against Gandhi family loyalist Satish Sharma.
At a public rally Priyanka asked voters how they could allow Nehru to enter Rae Bareli. He had betrayed her father, former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, she reminded voters. That speech changed the mood in Rae Bareli overnight. Nehru, who was the frontrunner until then, was trounced in the election.
Five states will elect new assemblies in the coming month but it is the Uttar Pradesh assembly election which is the most crucial. It is widely regarded as the semi-final ahead of parliamentary elections in 2014. Uttar Pradesh accounts for 80 seats or a fifth of India's lower house of parliament.
It is often said that the road to power in Delhi goes through Uttar Pradesh, hence the no-holds-barred bitter electoral battle that is being waged now in the state. Rival parties are using every trick in the book to woo voters from promising job quotas for religious minorities to corruption-free governance to a graft-weary electorate.
The Congress began wooing the voters long before election dates were announced. Its star campaigner is Rahul, who has been visiting college campuses, sleeping overnight in homes of Dalits (former "untouchables") and generally drawing attention to the UP government's failings for over a year now.
Analysts are describing the UP election as Rahul's most important test yet. If the party is able to triple its tally from its current 22 seats in the 403-member Uttar Pradesh assembly, Rahul will be considered to have passed. This would silence his critics, say Congress leaders. He will be seen to have earned his spurs as the battle for poverty-stricken, caste-ridden, corrupt Uttar Pradesh is a tough challenge.
Congress sources say they do not expect the party to win the election. But they do see themselves as kingmakers in Uttar Pradesh.
According to the Congress' game-plan, a robust performance could see it help the opposition Samajwadi Party form the state government. In return, the Samajwadi Party would join India's ruling United Progressive Alliance coalition, helping the tottering Manmohan Singh government survive the rest of its term.
There is therefore a lot at stake for the Congress in the Uttar Pradesh elections.
And this is why the Congress rank and file is hoping for an expansion in Priyanka's role in the election. Her entry is expected to give the Congress' poll prospects a shot in the arm.
But there is concern too that she will eclipse her brother. Unlike Priyanka, who is confident and effortlessly strikes a chord with the masses, Rahul is still ill at ease in politics. He is working hard to prepare himself for the day he becomes prime minister but he remains unsure of himself. Little is known of his views on issues of key importance to India.
Comparisons between the siblings, who are said to be very close, are inevitable. Will Priyanka's assumption of a larger political role expose Rahul's flaws? Can the party afford to have their crown prince's younger sister take away the limelight from him?
Priyanka has often been described as the Congress' brahmastra - the ultimate weapon in Hindu mythology. The brahmastra was a weapon that assured its wielder victory but one which he could use only once. The power of the brahmastra lay in its strategic deployment.
Likewise, Priyanka's value as a vote catcher will be lost if this card is over played. Priyanka's appeal is enhanced by the fact that she has stayed away from Indian politics. She has said in the past that she likes her ordinary life, reading, studying and looking after her children.
If she does campaign beyond Amethi and Rae Bareli, it is likely that she will do so in a few crucial constituencies.
It is only in the next general election, when Rahul is likely to lead the Congress as its prime ministerial candidate that the Congress can be expected to unleash the full power of its brahmastra.
Sudha Ramachandran is an independent journalist/researcher based in Bangalore. She can be reached [email protected][/I][/I][/I][/I][/I][/SIZE][URL="http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/NA26Df04.html"]
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/NA26Df04.html[/URL]
