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politics

For the first time
Priyanka Gandhi has
taken on a formal post
in Congress

where she is an important minister in the Yogi grandmother Indira Gandhi.
Adityanath cabinet. Priyanka is all set to assume the new position in the
The subsequent installation of cine actor Raj Babbar first week of February after which she is expected to
did help to play some gimmick but failed to rejuvenate out the party on the fast track. How her presence ac-
the party. Crisis of leadership seemed to be the biggest tually plays out on ground, only time will tell. How-
challenge for the party leadership that was aware of ever, the fact of the matter is that now the message is
the prevalent infighting between some of the promi- loud and clear, that Congress going to be contender
nent faces in the state. What the party needed desper- in the game and actively compete in upcoming Lok
ately was a leader of stature that could not be ques- Sabha elections on the front foot.
tioned and a face that could be taller than the rest. Such a message would go a long way in tapping the
Sure enough, none other than Priyanka could have party’s traditional vote bank of Upper caste Hindus,
foot that bill. After all, the foremost requirement of a Muslims and Dalits. Even though Congress party has
political outfit going to poll is its undisputed leader- been down in the dumps for years, the recent victory
ship. Moreover, Priyanka clearly has it all — a high of the party in three states of the Hindi heartland has
profile, excellent communication skills, a prompt made it predominantly evident that it is now on the
connect with crowds and above all the charisma, that revival path. The ripple effect of the victory in Chhat-
was quite pointedly reminiscent of her charismatic tisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan is bound to be

Tehelka / 15 february 2019 15 www.Tehelka.com