Sonia Gandhi assumed the role of interim Congress chief on August 10 last year. Today marks the completion of her year-long tenure as the interim chief. The aim of the Congress to have Sonia as the party president, albeit temporarily, was to find a suitable and capable President who would be democratically elected from within the party. However, being the party of dynasts that the Congress is, it has been unable to find a replacement to the mother-son duo. This has resulted in a restless and ambitious young guard of Congress leaders rebelling against the elders of the party, who continue to remain loyal to their political godmother.
Shashi Tharoor has remarked that it is about time that Sonia Gandhi be relieved of her duties as interim Congress President, as it is not fair to her. Rahul Gandhi continues to reject demands to assume control over the party as its President once again, despite senior leaders of the party urging him to do so. With an uninterested Rahul Gandhi not willing to take control, and his mother naturally turning old for the job, the Congress has just one plausible option remaining.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Sonia’s daughter and Rahul’s sister has taken a massive leap of faith and ended up in full-time politics. Currently eyeing Uttar Pradesh for 2022, Priyanka Vadra seems all set to be made the Congress President once Sonia Gandhi quits the job. In fact, the narrative of an uninterested Rahul Gandhi and an ageing Sonia Gandhi both being unable to lead the Congress seems to have been perfectly plotted to ultimately introduce Priyanka as the candidate for the top post.
Priyanka Vadra will surely face no real opposition from within the Congress, as objecting to a Gandhi dynast all set to be made Congress President would be no less than political suicide for the person(s) concerned. Effectively, a proposal for her to be made the supremo would put to rest the ambitions of all those who are currently eyeing the top post, yet are not being able to muster the courage to stake claim over it.
The choice of Priyanka Vadra as Congress President would be a strategic one. Congress religiously believes that the appearance of Priyanka, which bears resemblance to that of her grandmother – Indira Gandhi would help the party win voters. Further, Priyanka Vadra’s appointment as the Congress Chief would mean the Gandhis successfully managing to keep the reins of power within the family. Priyanka Vadra’s son has been projected a couple of times by the family in political rallies and other occasions.
The appointment of Priyanka Vadra as Congress chief would ensure that the seat of power remains among those who share the Nehru-Gandhi-Vadra bloodline. The Gandhis are a power-hungry family, and cannot bear the sight of the reins of Congress landing up in the hands of non-Gandhi leaders. As such, the stage seems set for the entry of Priyanka Vadra as Congress President; to try her hand at defeating the BJP, and failing at it. It has become quite the dynastic hobby for the party.