With Rahul Gandhi hurriedly leading the party to insignificance, the appointment of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as the general secretary of All India Congress Committee (AICC), was being viewed as a ray of hope to revive the grand old party’s fortunes in the Lok Sabha elections. Protecting the sole significant member of the clan, Congress has now decided not to field Priyanka in Varanasi against PM Modi.
Priyanka’s appointment as the general secretary of UP East took place amidst a lot of fanfare. She is the example of the rare Gandhi who had been isolated from active politics almost her entire life. Now, with her introduction being so hyped up, the choice of her constituency had to be prestigious enough to make a mark, to suit the stature of a ‘Gandhi’. In this regard, there were several rumors that the Gandhi daughter would contest from Raebareli, her mother’s constituency, which has been one of the two traditional congress family bastions. However, Sonia Gandhi’s announcement as to her own candidature from Raebareli put an end to those rumours.
Thereafter, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was considering to contest from Varanasi. There had been increasing demands from party workers for Priyanka to contest the elections. She had publically asked in a meeting, “Varanasi se lad lun (should I contest from Varanasi?),” to which the Congress clan heartily cheered. Even Rahul Gandhi had stated, “As far as Priyanka is concerned, it is up to her to decide if she wants to contest the election or not.”
The seat is quite significant, culturally as well as politically. Varanasi, being an abode of Hinduism, holds immense religious significance. Moreover, PM Modi, someone whose popularity has skyrocketed in the region, the current Lok Sabha member from that seat will be re-contesting from Varanasi for 2019 elections as well. Varanasi is already quite crucial by the virtue of being situated in UP. The geographical significance, coupled by the cultural and political importance, led the constituency to be one of the most vital seats in the country.
Moreover, it wasn’t just PM Modi’s candidature that made Varanasi politically crucial. The Mahagathbandhan had categorically refused to let Congress be a part of their alliance, which Congress had been desperately vying for. Now, they have fielded a strong candidate from the constituency. The SP has decided to field Shalini Yadav, daughter-in-law of former Rajya Sabha Deputy chairperson Shyam Lal Yadav; in the constituency.
The grand old party, in the previous Lok Sabha elections had lost practically all the seats in UP, retaining just their two family bastions of Raebareli and Amethi. This time, their popularity seems even lower, if at all it exists. With so much at stake, the only people in the entire clan to able to contest from the seat and make a reasonable contribution in the electoral outcomes would have been the Gandhi heirs. This fact is coupled by another presumption that Congress is all set to be the third runner up in Varanasi.
Priyanka Gandhi, though a new entrant in the political sphere, is no stranger to the politics at play. She is not naïve and has been the confidant and advisor of her mother and her brother and even acted as a ‘star campaigner’ in both 2004 and 2009 general elections. It is widely known that it is due to Priyanka Gandhi that the two family bastions of the Congress are still enact, though probably not for long, given her brother’s substandard leadership.
Due to the existence of the hard hitting facts which had pre-decided Congress’ future in Varanasi, Priyanka Gandhi knew that her political career will end before it even begins, if she backs herself for a fight in Varanasi. The loss would have disastrous results for her political future. Apart from the political fiasco, the defeat would have been highly embarrassing for the party as well.
Keeping this in mind, in order to protect their legacy, and playing it safe, Congress has decided not to field Priyanka Gandhi from Varanasi. She was referred as ‘Brahmastra’ against PM Modi by the party, but eventually, the Brahmastra turned out to be powerless. As per a report by Republic TV, in a political scoop coming out of the Congress camp, sources have revealed that ‘her loss would be disastrous’. In her stead, the party has decided to field Ajay Singh, the party sacrificial lamb. Poor guy was fielded from Varanasi during the 2014 elections from the same constituency, finishing third with a mere 75,000 votes. The fact that Arvind Kejriwal stood before him with 2 lakh votes is something that any self-respecting politician will not want to add to his CV.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s entry into the political sphere has come during a time when it seemed that there was a fair chance that this generation of the Nehru-Gandhi clan would not produce a prime minister. With Rahul Gandhi’s substandard leadership quite evident, given the growing lack of Congress popularity, Priyanka is viewed as the best possible alternative. Congress cannot risk the disastrous Gandhi dynastic reputation, ramifications of which would be inevitable if she contests from Varanasi. Weighing the losses against each other, the party has acknowledged that the last 5 years under Rahul Gandhi have been a complete failure and the star sister would not be able to do much against a leader of gigantic stature. Therefore, giving up on these elections, they are saving their ‘Brahmastra’ for the next time. Due to the existence of her striking resemblance to her grandmother Indira Gandhi coupled with the fact that she is the more popular Gandhi of the two siblings, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is the best chance Congress has for a future and are therefore keen to protect the legacy.