Anand Kochukudy/ QUARTZ
Priyanka Gandhi became the latest member of India’s Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty to officially join politics yesterday (Jan. 23). The 47-year-old Gandhi has been appointed her party the Indian National Congress’s general secretary in-charge of the eastern block of the crucial bellwether state of Uttar Pradesh (UP) in northern India.
The fifth generation politician joins her elder brother, Rahul Gandhi, president of the Congress party, as he seeks to mount a challenge against the Hindutva nationalist government led by prime minister Narendra Modi in the national elections barely three months away. With almost 80 key seats coming from the state, UP almost always plays the most important role in the national government formation exercise.
The Congress party cadre has long demanded Gandhi’s entry into the electoral fray.
Originally a Congress stronghold, UP has in recent decades seen the party performing poorly, with the sole exception of 2009.
Priyanka Gandhi became the latest member of India’s Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty to officially join politics yesterday (Jan. 23). The 47-year-old Gandhi has been appointed her party the Indian National Congress’s general secretary in-charge of the eastern block of the crucial bellwether state of Uttar Pradesh (UP) in northern India.
The fifth generation politician joins her elder brother, Rahul Gandhi, president of the Congress party, as he seeks to mount a challenge against the Hindutva nationalist government led by prime minister Narendra Modi in the national elections barely three months away. With almost 80 key seats coming from the state, UP almost always plays the most important role in the national government formation exercise.
The Congress party cadre has long demanded Gandhi’s entry into the electoral fray.
Originally a Congress stronghold, UP has in recent decades seen the party performing poorly, with the sole exception of 2009.Background player
Gandhi is no stranger to politics, though.For the longest time, she has been working behind the scenes although her public participation was limited to Rae Bareli and Amethi, represented in parliament by her mother Sonia Gandhi and brother, respectively.Gandhi has always been rated a more spontaneous politician than her brother—she is known to be articulate in Hindi and for her ability to connect with the masses. This ability, coupled with her striking resemblance to her grandmother, former prime minister Indira Gandhi, is what the Congress may be counting on in a predominantly rural state like UP.
While Gandhi’s formal political debut could be perceived as the Congress’s first family tightening its grip on the party—and giving a fillip to nepotism—she is expected to eventually replace her ailing mother in the party hierarchy.
Is charm enough?
Although Priyanka has very little time to turn around the fortunes of her party in time for the elections, her appointment can go a long way in wooing back the traditional vote banks of the Congress and in tapping into the latent goodwill enjoyed by the party in UP. A section of the swing voters is expected to be significantly influenced by Gandhi’s campaign as it comes on the back of a double anti-incumbency for the BJP. She is also expected to make an impact on younger voters, who make up a significant percentage of India’s electorate.
Priyanka’s gift of the gab will stand her in good stead as she takes on the orator in prime minister Modi in the days ahead. As ex-family loyalist and former union external affairs minister Natwar Singh notes in his book, Gandhi’s “exactness of expression” has always been her advantage over her brother as she sets out to prove herself in the electoral arena.