CONGRESS

Road to resurgence

Priyanka storms into Lucknow, but will the initial enthusiasm translate into votes?

New dawn: Priyanka at the Congress roadshow in Lucknow. New dawn: Priyanka at the Congress roadshow in Lucknow.

After being relegated to the political margins for decades, Nehru Bhawan, the headquarters of the Uttar Pradesh Congress, wore a festive look on February 11. Marigold flowers, festoons and buntings covered every inch of the historic building located in the Mall Avenue, a posh Lucknow locality. And, slogans by zealous Congressmen waiting for Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to take charge as general secretary in charge of eastern UP rented the air, “Priyanka Gandhi aayi hai, BJP ghabrayi hai (Priyanka Gandhi has come, and the BJP is scared)”.

The Congress is sensing a chance to return to the political mainstream of Uttar Pradesh after nearly three decades. Priyanka’s formal entry, which started with a roadshow with her brother, Congress president Rahul Gandhi, has visibly enthused party workers. The brother-sister team took the same bus on which Rahul Gandhi had campaigned for the assembly elections in Punjab, leading the Congress to a massive victory. During the roadshow, which went on for four and a half hours, Priyanka did not make a formal speech, a task she left to her brother. The silence was possibly strategic, as her husband, Robert Vadra, is being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate.

Meraz Ali, a veteran Congress leader, said Priyanka’s presence would make a difference. “Her grand entry in Lucknow and her roadshow have made workers and masses enthusiastic like never before. People see Indira Gandhi in her.’’ Another Congress leader, Imran Khan, said Priyanka’s charisma would work wonders in the Lok Sabha elections. “No one will be able to touch the Congress,” he said.

There were people who came from faraway places just to see her. Hetram Verma, from the western UP district of Lakhimpur, said Priyanka’s formal entry would bring about positive changes for the party. “The brother–sister duo will work wonders, just wait and watch,” he said. Shalini Pandey, who came from Chandauli in eastern UP, which is more than 300km from Lucknow, said, “Priyanka will be a vote catcher. There is no doubt that the Congress will reach double figures in the Lok Sabha polls.”

Congress leaders in the state are also hopeful about a positive change. Congress MLA from Rampur Khas Aradhana Mishra called Priyanka’s roadshow a historic event. “People came to see her with great confidence. They felt Priyanka would lead to a big change. Soon, people will see results,” she said. Another Congress legislator, Deepak Singh, said Priyanka’s arrival was like spring coming after winter. “The Congress is fully charged. In 2019, it will get maximum seats and, in 2022, there will be a Congress government in Uttar Pradesh.”

Staying close: Rahul hopes Priyanka’s charisma will help the Congress revival in UP. Staying close: Rahul hopes Priyanka’s charisma will help the Congress revival in UP.

Rahul Gandhi, however, has been guarded. He knows that the revival of the Congress in Uttar Pradesh will take time. “I have asked Priyanka and Jyotiraditya Scindia to work to improve the Congress performance in Uttar Pradesh in the coming Lok Sabha elections and to form the next government in the state,” said Rahul when he named Priyanka as Congress general secretary. Rahul has asked Priyanka to work on the 41 Lok Sabha seats in eastern UP and has given her the charge of the Bundelkhand region as well.

It is, however, not going to be easy. The Congress, which had lost only two of 80 Lok Sabha seats in 1984, came down to winning just two seats in 2014. The party has been out of power in Uttar Pradesh since 1989. It has only seven seats in the 403–member assembly and just one member in the 100–member legislative council. In 70 districts of the state, the Congress does not have an MP or an MLA.

The Congress has been trying every trick to return to power. It formed an alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party in 1996 and with the Samajwadi Party in 2017. But its vote share came down on both occasions.

Show of strength: Thousands of enthusiastic Congressmen attended Priyanka’s roadshow. Show of strength: Thousands of enthusiastic Congressmen attended Priyanka’s roadshow.

Priyanka has begun on an aggressive note. On February 11, she flew to Jaipur to be with her husband who was being interrogated by the ED. The following day she returned to Lucknow and spent nearly 12 hours at the Congress office, staying till around midnight. She spent most of her time interacting with party workers and leaders. She asked them about their booths, details about villages in their constituencies and about the Congress performance in recent elections. She also asked them about their social media presence. The workers were then asked to fill up a form with questions about their village, constituencies and caste equations. Some of the workers requested Priyanka to contest Lok Sabha polls from Lucknow, which she politely turned down. She told them that her priority was to consolidate the cadre and establish personal contact with workers and leaders.

Priyanka’s entry has upset the calculations of not just the BJP, but also of the SP-BSP alliance. Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati, who kept just Amethi and Rae Bareli apart for the Congress, are likely to be more accommodative in the changed circumstances. Both the BSP and the SP have avoided targeting the Congress after Priyanka’s entry. Reciprocating the courtesy, Rahul has asked Congress leaders to desist from attacking Akhilesh and Mayawati.

There is no doubt about Priyanka’s charisma. The challenge for the Congress will be to translate it into votes. Coinciding with her political entry, Priyanka has opened a Twitter account. In three days, she got 1.8 lakh followers and that, too, without tweeting even once. Said Rajya Sabha MP P.L. Punia, “The presence of huge crowds at the roadshow and at the Congress office in Lucknow point towards a big change in Uttar Pradesh.”