In June 2013, Amit Shah was made the BJP’s general secretary in charge of Uttar Pradesh. Within a year, he earned his spurs as the saffron party won its biggest Lok Sabha mandate in the state, helping Narendra Modi to prime ministership. Shah established himself as a master strategist. Five years on, the Congress has taken its rivals and allies by surprise by bringing in Priyanka Gandhi as general secretary with oversight of the strategically important eastern Uttar Pradesh.
It was a leaf from the BJP’s book: an element of secrecy coupled with a move that signalled it was ready for a tough fight. The initial reactions from BJP leaders either mocked Priyanka or lashed out at her dynastic roots. But, the party will be moving strategically to counter her.
“Her entry will benefit us. If she gathers steam, she will eat into the votes of the BSP-SP combine,” said a top BJP leader. However, the real trouble for the BJP may come if the Congress is somehow included in the grand alliance in Uttar Pradesh.
For BJP strategists, Priyanka comes with a lot of baggage; the biggest being her husband, who has been accused of various crimes across states. “She is not a Gandhi, she is a Vadra,” a BJP strategist said, signalling that her opponents would stress on her married name to eliminate any goodwill she could enjoy from her illustrious family name.
Shah gave hints of how his party will target Priyanka. During his rally in Hamirpur, Himachal, he referred to Congress’s “OROP” (only Rahul and only Priyanka). A day later in West Bengal, he reminded people of the 2G allocation scam during the UPA rule, adding that the party has gone from the 2G of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, to 3G with Priyanka Gandhi. In Kanpur, Shah included Priyanka in what he called the 4Bs—bua, babua, bhai and behen (aunt, nephew, brother and sister) referring to Mayawati, Akhilesh, Rahul and Priyanka, respectively.
A BJP general secretary said that the Congress has exposed chinks in its strategy by limiting itself to targeting upper caste votes in Uttar Pradesh—the party had chosen Priyanka and Jyotiraditya Scindia as general secretaries in the state.
Priyanka and Rahul are expected to start their poll march in Uttar Pradesh after taking a dip in the Ganga during the Kumbh, in line with the Congress’s soft hindutva approach. “Many people take a dip. There is nothing new,” said Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. “It will not have much appeal. The Gandhi family has stopped being a wonder to people.”
The BJP has shown that it will play the hindutva card to the hilt. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and members of his cabinet have already taken the dip at the Kumbh. The Union government made its biggest move yet by petitioning the Supreme Court on returning the 67 acres of the undisputed land to the Ram Temple committee.
BJP sources hinted at how the party had embarrassed Priyanka when she handled campaigns for her mother and brother in Rae Bareli and Amethi during the 2017 UP assembly elections. The BJP had got Congress’s Jang Bahadur Singh to defect. Similar efforts will be made to win over people from the Gandhi family pocket boroughs.
The BJP could also counter Priyanka’s campaign in Uttar Pradesh by pitching more women leaders in the state against her. Currently, Smriti Irani was hopeful of contesting again against Rahul Gandhi from Amethi. “Priyanka’s entry shows Rahul has failed,” Irani said.
As the election day draws nearer and Priyanka begins her campaign in Lok Sabha constituencies like Varanasi and Gorakhpur, the BJP may respond by sending heavy hitters to Rae Bareli and Amethi in order to contain her in the family strongholds. “Strategy is an ongoing thing. We will decide based on how the Congress moves,” a BJP leader said.
During his speech at the BJP National Council meeting held in Delhi in January, Shah said the 2019 elections will be like the Third Battle of Panipat. By the look of things, the Panipat contest may well be in Uttar Pradesh.