Smriti Irani back in Parliament?
There is some speculation that Smriti Irani could be back in Parliament as a Rajya Sabha member. According to some, she could be fielded from Rajasthan. Post her Lok Sabha loss, Irani had been missing from the headlines, especially during the Parliament session. Initially, there was speculation that she would be given a place at the party headquarters once J.P. Nadda (or if he himself is replaced, then the next BJP chief) reshuffles his team. But for now, things seem to be stuck at status quo as far as the headquarters politics is concerned. Perhaps that decision will be taken post the next round of Assembly elections. In the meantime, Irani has been very vocal in taking on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the brutal rape and murder of the young doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. Will we see her back in Parliament during the winter session?
Will the Congress reshuffle its team?
A Congress headquarters reshuffle is on the cards, but the key question here is will it be Team Rahul that will get precedence or will Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge have a larger say? Clearly, it is Rahul who is calling the shots whether in Parliament or out of it. He is also keen to accommodate some of his favourites in key positions, such as Sachin Rao (CWC member), Sasikanth Senthil (ex IAS officer and an election strategist) and Meenakshi Natrajan (Ex MP). Moreover, Sachin Pilot, who was made Congress general secretary in charge of Chhattisgarh in December last year, is underutilized. A comprehensive role also has to be found for Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who remains a general secretary without portfolio. She will also be contesting her first election from Wayanad soon. Given the fact that the Congress seems to be on an upswing, with Rahul Gandhi playing such an active role, perhaps it is time to get his team together. The key would be to see if he will take Kharge (and his team) along, because the party still needs the maturity of the older leadership. Sidelining the old guard is a mistake Rahul has made earlier; this time around what may work is the fact that Kharge was as much his choice as he was Sonia Gandhi’s.