Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi is entering the electoral fray for the first time. She is filing her nomination from Wayanad Lok Sabha seat in Kerala today.This seat was earlier held by her brother Rahul Gandhi. He contested from two Lok Sabha seats namely Wayanad and Rae Bareli.
After winning both the seats, he left the Wayanad seat. Now the party has chosen this seat for the electoral debut of his sister Priyanka Gandhi.
Rahul Gandhi supported her on X
Supporting Priyanka Gandhi's candidature, Rahul Gandhi wrote on the social media platform X, "The people of Wayanad have a special place in my heart. I could not have imagined a better candidate than my sister as their representative. I hope she will work wholeheartedly for the needs of Wayanad and emerge as a strong voice in Parliament."
If Priyanka Gandhi wins, all three current members of the Gandhi family will become MPs. Rahul Gandhi is a member of the Lok Sabha while his mother Sonia Gandhi is in the Rajya Sabha.
Priyanka Gandhi will become a member of the Lok Sabha after winning the election.
Politics behind the scenes for three decades
Priyanka Gandhi has been active behind the scenes in Congress politics for a long time. Since the late 1990s, she has been handling her mother Sonia Gandhi's election campaigns.
Apart from this, when Rahul Gandhi entered active politics from Amethi seat of Uttar Pradesh in 2004, it was Priyanka Gandhi who ran a strong public relations campaign for him.
But she kept herself in the background. Her first official entry into politics happened before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections when she was made in-charge of the Congress' election campaign in eastern Uttar Pradesh. But the Congress got only one seat.After this, the Congress' performance in the 2022 UP assembly elections was very poor.Then her critics had said that the Congress missed its trump card in the form of Priyanka Gandhi.
When Priyanka Gandhi was made the Congress General Secretary in 2019, there was talk that she could contest from her mother's traditional seat Rae Bareli. Even posters were put up appealing her to stand in the elections. But she was not fielded in the election.
Why is it important for Priyanka Gandhi to contest the election
The question arises that why did the Congress decide to field Priyanka Gandhi in the elections now.
Analysts who understand Congress politics believe that this was the right time. Congress performed well in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and it is looking very vocal in Parliament.
If Priyanka also reaches the Lok Sabha, then she can surround the Modi government more effectively along with her brother. Wayanad can prove to be an easy seat for her because Rahul Gandhi has proved to be very popular here.
She is compared to grandmother Indira Gandhi
Priyanka Gandhi has been liked by a section of Indian voters. People see a reflection of her grandmother and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in Priyanka.
They believe that she is a strong-willed woman like Indira Gandhi and can face the challenges of Indian politics very well.
Unlike Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi was considered the political successor of her father Rajiv Gandhi. Even during the funeral of her father who was killed in a terrorist attack, people were expecting that Priyanka would be the new leader of the Congress.
But after this Priyanka Gandhi did not enter active politics. Priyanka Gandhi was seen in public for the first time after her father's death, when she was getting married to businessman Robert Vadra.
She supported her mother and brother in difficult times
It is believed that in the late 1990s, when the Congress was seen struggling on the question of leadership and Sonia Gandhi had decided not to enter politics, it was Priyanka Gandhi who handled the situation behind the scenes.
After this, she continued to help her mother Sonia Gandhi and brother Rahul Gandhi to move forward in politics. During the last few years, when Rahul Gandhi made long journeys during the Bharat Jodo Abhiyan, she remained with him constantly.
But between 2019 and 2024, people saw Priyanka Gandhi coming forward and playing an active role in the Congress. This boosted the morale of Congress workers and the demand for bringing her into electoral politics started increasing inside and outside the party.
Attempt to corner Priyanka
However, in recent years, Priyanka Gandhi's family members have also been accused of corruption.
Investigative agencies have accused her husband Robert Vadra of money laundering and tax evasion. It is alleged that Robert Vadra's company has purchased land illegally. However, Vadra has denied these allegations.Congress has also denied these allegations. The party says that these allegations are being made to tarnish the image of the Gandhi family.
Anyway, there is a strong possibility of Priyanka Gandhi winning from Wayanad and coming to the Lok Sabha. If she becomes a Lok Sabha MP, it will further encourage the Congress and the allies of the India Alliance to perform well in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
On the other hand, Priyanka Gandhi can also make a better strategy to put pressure on the Modi government by joining her mother Sonia Gandhi and brother Rahul Gandhi in Parliament.