Priyanka Gandhi takes charge of UP Congress, Scindia demits UP (West) charge

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Priyanka Gandhi takes charge of UP Congress, Scindia demits UP (West) charge

Rahul Gandhi to return on July 22-23

Harish Gupta 

New Delhi, July 19 

After the resignation of Jyotiraditya Scindia as AICC General Secretary incharge of UP (West), Priyanka Gandhi has been entrusted with the task of looking after the entire UP. Until now, Priyanka Gandhi was the AICC general secretary incharge of UP (East). After Scindia's resignation, she has been asked to look after the whole of UP.

Though no formal orders have been issued by the AICC in this regard. But Congress president Rahul Gandhi, before his departure to the USA on Wednesday, asked Priyanka Gandhi to look after the entire state until further arrangements. Rahul Gandhi has approved several appointments including that PCC Chiefs of Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh. It is also learnt that Rahul Gandhi will return to India on July 22-23 and the Congress Working Committee may meet thereafter. There is intense media speculation that Priyanka Gandhi may replace her brother as AICC president. A clamour is also growing in the party for her induction as many feel that a member of the Gandhi family can revive the party. In fact, many of the senior party leaders feel that an interim arrangement of appointing someone like Mallikarjun Kharge, Mukul Wasnik or Selja would only delay the revival of the party. They say that the Congress under the Gandhis had secured more than 11 crore votes in the May 2019 Lok Sabha polls and these can grow if Priyanka Gandhi is installed as party chief. Since Rahul Gandhi has firmly rebuffed suggestions of staging a come back, these sources say that only someone like Priyanka can take the party on the revival path. But Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is maintaining a studied silence. She has quietly taken the charge of the entire UP and held a marathon meeting of all the district presidents of UP Congress. She has already taken on the Yogi government head on. 

Perhaps, one will have to wait for a week to things to unfold in the Congress.

Ends 

No cake-walk for Priyanka, Scindia in UP

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

News analysis

No cake-walk for Priyanka, Scindia in UP

Congress to focus on 25 Lok Sabha seats

Harish Gupta

New Delhi, Jan. 24

Stiff challenge awaits Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in UP East when she returns from the USA in the first week of February to take charge of her first formal political assignment. She along with her family members, has gone there for a medical check up of a family member three weeks ago, sources say. Her entry in UP East is not a cake-walk but like a greenhorn in the Lion's den. She has been given the charge of those 33 Lok Sabha seats where the Congress had drawn a big Zero in 2014 parliamentary polls. If anyone thought that Priyanka Gandhi has been rewarded by her brother Rahul or it is a bed of roses for her or a big favour, he is sadly mistaken. Its a deft, crafty political move where the Gandhi scion knew he will have to fight it all alone now. After all, party stalwarts Ghulam Nabi Azad included, failed during the past three decades to revive the Congress in UP. Left high and dry by the SP-BSP with only two seats (Amethi & Rae Bareli), Rahul could find only her sister for UP East and and trusted colleague Jyotiraditya Scindia for UP West. The UP West includes regions like Bundelkhand, Ruhelkhand and western part accounting for 30 odd-Lok Sabha seats. It must be borne in mind that when the Congress won 21 Lok Sabha seats in UP in 2009, 15 came from Eastern part while six from other regions. The Congress had a vote share of 10% in UP East compared to 4.90% in UP West. It may also be worthwhile to mention that it contested 67 seats out of 80 in 2014.

But surely, 2019 is not 2009 and Priyanka and Scindia would have to fight for every vote in their respective battle ground. Congress insiders say that the Congress would not contest all the 80 seats as was declared by Ghulam Nabi Azad. In fact, one of the reasons for him being shifted to the small state of Haryana was his suo-moto declaration of taking on SP-BSP too. Rahul Gandhi has made it clear that seats and candidates be selected with the objective to defeat the BJP and improve party's own tally. It is also clearly emerging that the Congress will focus on 25 Lok Sabha seats where it will put up strong candidates.

It had a formidable presence in nine Lok Sabha constituencies and strong in another five besides winning two seats in 2014. Therefore, it had a reasonable case of getting 10 Lok Sabha in the bargain with the SP-BSP. Since it couldn't happen, it will now focus on

Barabanki (2nd), Kushinagar (2nd), Mirzapur (3rd), Pratapgarh (3rd) and Varanasi (3rd). Of course, in Varanasi, there is already a talk of putting up a joint Opposition candidate in Shatrughan Sinha. Similarly, the Congress was second in Saharanpur, Ghaziabad (Raj Babbar contested), Lucknow (Rita Bahuguna Joshi joined BJP after being defeated), Kanpur (Sriprakash Jaiswal) and Kheri constituencies. It was pushed to third position in Rampur, Unnao, Farrukhabad (Salman Khurshid). With the young Rahul team taking over UP, the Congress workers will surely be enthused and galvanized. But it is certainly not a red carpet that awaits Priyanka and Scindia. Its a long, hard battle ground.

ends