NEW DELHI: 26 years since her first political speech, Priyanka is yet to contest the Lok Sabha elections.
It was January 1998, when Bhilai was still a part of undivided Madhya Pradesh and the campaigning for the election of the twelfth Lok Sabha was going on. Leading the Congress charge was Sonia Gandhi, who had decided, after much reluctance, to lead the party’s campaign. After the senior Gandhi finished her 15-minute speech in Hindi, which she started by addressing the crowd in the local dialect, “bhai-behen maan” (my brothers and sisters), the crowd started demanding an address from Priyanka Gandhi, who was 26 years old at the time. On much persuasion from the people and the local leaders, she gave her first political speech in chaste Hindi, telling the voters why Congress candidate Jageshwar Sahu was the right choice for them. Her brother Rahul was not a full time member of active politics at the time.
26 years since that speech and six Lok Sabha elections later, Priyanka is yet to contest the Lok Sabha elections. It was widely speculated that in the ongoing elections, Priyanka would step up from being the election manager of her mother and brother, and a star campaigner of the party, to fighting the elections herself from either Rae Bareli or Amethi, where people still refer to her as “Amethi ki Bitiya”.
However, that did not happen, with Amethi going to Congress worker K.L. Sharma, and Rahul deciding to contest from Rae Bareli. When Rahul won his first Lok Sabha election from Amethi in 2004, he was 34 years old and by that time Priyanka, who is a year younger to her brother, had gained substantial experience of how Congress made its political moves.
Every election since 1999 has led to strong speculation and demands from various quarters about Priyanka being asked to contest the general elections.
Why she was not given a ticket even this time, has not met with a clear answer from the party. Party leaders say that she is handling the much important task of canvassing for votes for other candidates.
Veteran Congress leaders, who were familiar with the developments that took place when Rahul and Sonia were contesting Lok Sabha elections, said it was a conscious decision by the Gandhi family not to field three members from the same family and hence for a long time Priyanka could not contest.
However, party veterans are wondering why, with Sonia Gandhi retiring from the Lok Sabha because of health reasons and vacating Rae Bareli, Priyanka Gandhi was again given the miss.
According to senior party leaders, who are no longer seen as a member of the kitchen cabinet, with Sonia Gandhi not in fray this time, it would have been a prudent political decision to let Priyanka contest from Rae Bareli. They believe that given the long association with her mother and Priyanka herself, she would have easily won from there and also made a positive electoral impact in the neighbouring seats.
According to them, she has been in politics for more than 25 years and should have been given the opportunity to seek the popular mandate, which would have made her a “larger leader”.
With Rahul contesting from two seats, Wayanad in Kerala from where he is the sitting MP and where polls have already taken place and from Rae Bareli, that goes to the polls on 20 May, he has allowed his opposition the opportunity to spread the narrative that he is not committed to the voters of Rae Bareli, as this is his secondary seat, from where he is likely to resign even if he wins from there. This damaging narrative could have been avoided if Priyanka would have been given the chance to make her much awaited electoral debut.
Sources close to her have maintained for a long time that she was not averse or reluctant to contest the elections, unlike the perception that is sought to be created by her detractors within and outside the party.
One possibility, party leaders indicate is that after 4 June, if Rahul wins from Rae Bareli, he will vacate the seat in favour of Priyanka and thereby pave the way for her possible entry into the Lok Sabha.