Zee Media Bureau/Ajith Vijay Kumar
New Delhi: Given her high decibel poll campaign in family pocket boroughs of Rae Bareli and Amethi, there is increased anticipation that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra may enter politics.
Ever since she took upon herself to steer the poll campaigns of her mother Sonia Gandhi and brother Rahul, and also defend her husband Robert Vadra publicly, political circles are ripe with the view that she has finally taken the plunge into politics with gusto.
Priyanka lived up to the hype as well, as she went about countering Narendra Modi word-for-word and eulogised her family`s credentials as the champions of secularism in the country.
Many are seeing more than a hint of power woman and her grandmother Indira Gandhi in her and especially party workers are looking up to her as their new hope, given the sloppy poll campaign being managed by the party under the stewardship of her brother Rahul.
Though calls for her to join active politics have been raised time and again – these have always met with a polite but firm no. And now, the current predicament of the party, when it is believed to be heading for its worst performance ever, had given a sense of urgency to have Priyanka in the limelight.
Contrasting this view was the belief held by many that Congress had erred in exposing Priyanka – their trump card – in a game they are bound to lose. Or that if she had to be exposed, the move should have come much earlier and her imprint should have been on a wider national canvass and not just in two constituencies.
Priyanka has the aura and personality to lead the party in the next battle, if the need may be, they felt.
The current situation also suggests that Priyanka`s strong defence of her husband has not delivered the intended results given the suspicion that still surrounds his business dealings.
As for the poll battle: Sonia Gandhi does not face much of a challenge in Rae Bareli but Rahul is engaged in a tough fight with Smriti Irani and Kumar Vishwas in Amethi.
While Rahul remains the favourite, if Amethi falls the damage will spread to Priyanka as well.
