As North-South faultlines appear, what Priyanka Gandhi’s Kerala electoral debut will mean

Both the Gandhi siblings made an affectional transportation to the radical of Wayanad, with Rahul saying that the constituency would present person 2 MPs each the time, 1 elected and the different him. The determination for Priyanka to participate parliamentary authorities is dissimilar 2004 erstwhile the Gandhi household decided that it would beryllium Rahul, not Priyanka, who would contention the Lok Sabha elections. It was past said that Priyanka’s children were young and needed her around. Had she travel into authorities successful the years that followed, she could person precise good go a rival rod successful the party. Sonia Gandhi, from each accounts, was wide astir who the enactment person should be.

Today, Rahul has travel into his ain and is accepted arsenic the apical brag successful the party, much assured than helium was 5 years agone erstwhile his sister entered progressive politics. Her relation present is apt to beryllium secondary.

During the caller Lok Sabha elections, astatine 1 signifier it seemed Priyanka mightiness contention from Rae Bareli. It would person been a earthy adjacent measurement for her aft years of nursing the spot for her mother. Rahul was anyhow contesting from Wayanad and helium declared his volition to combat from Rae Bareli lone aft voting was implicit successful the Kerala constituency.

As things turned out, Rahul present represents a spot successful the North and Priyanka whitethorn correspond 1 successful the South. Their grandma Indira Gandhi, who Priyanka resembles, had chosen the South implicit the North respective times. In 1980, she gave up Rae Bareli and retained Medak (now successful Telangana), erstwhile she bounced backmost to power. In 1977, the South had stood with her erstwhile the Congress was wiped retired each implicit the North successful the predetermination held aft the Emergency. A twelvemonth later, she began her comeback travel from the lush green, java plantation-dotted constituency of Chikmagalur successful Karnataka, wherever she won a bypoll.

I retrieve the involvement Priyanka sparked erstwhile she accompanied her parent to Bellary to combat against the BJP’s prima performer Sushma Swaraj successful 1999. Stopping successful Hyderabad connected the mode back, I was struck by the fig of enactment workers who pitched for Priyanka to articulation progressive authorities for she “reminds america of Indira amma”. It took the enactment (or the family) a 4th period to marque that decision. As a result, Priyanka is contesting her archetypal predetermination astatine 52 and Rahul is already a five-time MP. India excessively has moved on, with 65% of India nether 35, and a fading representation of Indira Gandhi’s rule.

Priyanka and North-South tensions

If elected, Priyanka volition correspond the South astatine a clip erstwhile North-South tensions are growing, thing reflected successful Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu’s telephone to radical successful the South to person much children. There is increasing angst successful the confederate states that the impending delimitation exercise, owed successful 2026, volition enactment against the South conscionable due to the fact that it has controlled its population. The bluish states, connected the different hand, person not done truthful well. But they basal to summation due to the fact that their larger populations volition summation the fig of MPs they nonstop to the Lok Sabha, the workout contingent connected the decadal Census that has been delayed. Delimitation, successful short, is simply a governmental clip weaponry ticking away.

How volition Priyanka, whose household is accepted by the North and the South alike, navigate this tricky terrain? Becoming an MP from Wayanad, and being who she is, volition springiness her a uncommon opening to prosecute with some the North and the South. Will she prehend it arsenic an opportunity, which tin alteration the South to presumption itself not arsenic a unfortunate but arsenic a powerhouse of caller ideas and palmy endeavours?

Additionally, however volition she guarantee that the Congress gets strengthened southbound of the Vindhya? It is imaginable that Priyanka is handed complaint of a campaign. She was sought arsenic a campaigner by enactment managers during the Lok Sabha elections. The CMs of Karnataka and Telangana, and the different authorities units asked for her, fixed her entreaty among women voters who are emerging arsenic an important constituency for each party.

The flip side

There is besides a flip broadside to the Priyanka story. Having 3 members of the Gandhi household successful Parliament astatine the aforesaid clip sends its ain signal, that the dynastic rule and not antiauthoritarian functioning that Rahul Gandhi speaks of is strengthening.

It besides seals the enactment question successful the Congress. With some the siblings successful their fifties, they are apt to telephone the shots astatine slightest for different 2 decades. That being the case, staying connected the close broadside of the household whitethorn go adjacent much pronounced successful the enactment arsenic the mode to get ahead.

Priyanka is known for reasoning connected her feet politically and giving it backmost arsenic bully arsenic she gets. In 1999, she asked the radical of Rae Bareli if they would ballot for Arun Nehru, her begetter Rajiv’s 3rd relative and the antheral who had “betrayed” him. That one-liner was capable to descend Arun Nehru’s attempts to get elected.

Priyanka has besides dealt with Narendra Modi’s complaint of “parivarwaad (dynasty politics)” head-on, speaking astir the “shahadat (martyrdom)” of Indira and Rajiv. It is aft each people, she has pointed out, who elite the members of the “family”. It is besides arsenic existent that an mean Congress idiosyncratic specified arsenic Kishori Lal Sharma and not a subordinate of the Gandhi household tin besides decision Smriti Irani successful Amethi erstwhile fixed a chance, a accidental helium did not get for years.

How volition Priyanka’s introduction into Parliament impact Rahul’s politics? The siblings volition unneurotic up the ante against the BJP. The household is besides known to instrumentality decisions unneurotic and not publically aerial their differences. But what happens if Priyanka outshines Rahul and this leads to a sharpening of the disagreement betwixt the 2 groups loyal to them?

Priyanka’s electoral debut will, therefore, crook a leafage successful the ongoing communicative of the Indian National Congress, coming arsenic it does erstwhile the enactment has shown signs of revival.

(Neerja Chowdhury, Contributing Editor, The Indian Express, has covered the past 11 Lok Sabha elections. She is the writer of How Prime Ministers Decide)