India Election Watch: Priyanka Gandhi to begin 2019 Lok Sabha campaign from Prayagraj, Varanasi

'One failed. The other won't take-off', <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/country-safe-under-pm-narendra-modis-leadership-says-finance-minister-arun-jaitley-202993">Finance Minister Arun Jaitley</a> said as he took a jibe on the entry of Priyanka Gandhi into politics. 
 
Generation after generation, the Congress Party's leadership berth is reserved for a member of the preferred family, he said as he traced the post-independence history of the party from Jawaharlal Nehru to Indira Gandhi to Sanjay Gandhi to Rajiv Gandhi. 
 
Continuing the series of his blogs on 'Agenda 2019', he said the Congress tried to remove itself from the shackles of the dynasty for a brief period after the unfortunate assassination of Rajiv Gandhi but could not get out of its clutches for long.&nbsp; 
 
'Smt. Sonia Gandhi then took over as the longest serving President of the Indian National Congress and thereafter passed on the leadership baton of the Party to her son Rahul Gandhi.&nbsp; 
 
'Thus, generation after generation, the Congress Party's leadership berth is reserved for a member of the preferred family. When the Party is now in doldrums, another member of the family has entered the scene,'&nbsp;said the senior BJP leader who is in charge of the party's publicity committee.&nbsp; 
 
Jaitley was referring to <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/lok-sabha-polls-analysing-the-battle-of-east-up-and-the-priyanka-factor-202815">Priyanka Gandhi Vadra</a>, who has been recently appointed as Congress general secretary in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh. 
 
The Finance Minister further said: "The key question is - will the dynastic parties learn from their 2014 drubbing and a possible defeat in 2019?&nbsp; 
 
'Possibly not. It is here that the people of India will have to bring about a change. India is not a monarchy. Neither is it a kingdom or dynastic democracy. Dynasts disapprove persons of talent and merit.&nbsp; 
 
'The real strength of democracy will be realized when the myth of dynasties is finally buried and these parties are taken over by men of competence and merit. That will provide Indians with a better choice, he said.&nbsp; 
 
Another curious feature, he said, is that most families where a single dynasty created the party, have moved into the next generation.&nbsp; 
 
'In the next generation, there may be more than one heir. Both the heirs become aspirational and, therefore, the parent dynast distributes the largesse. But recent history has proved otherwise,'&nbsp;Jaitley said.&nbsp; 
 
He added that Chinese philosopher Confucius had rightly said that just as there can be only one sun in the sky, there can be only one emperor on the Earth.&nbsp; 
 
'Where power-sharing between successor dynasts takes place, who is the ultimate emperor?, 'he wondered as he highlighted instances of family-based political parties in states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh. 
 
In Karnataka, he said there is an experiment of sons sharing the state and the grandsons sharing the Centre, and in Maharashtra, the initial ripples have started. 
&nbsp; 
'The Congress has undertaken the same experiment. It believes that the two owners are better than one. Will Confucius be proved right and historical record that one eventually prevailed over the other or will it be otherwise. One failed. The other won't take-off,'&nbsp;Jaitley said.&nbsp; 
 
On the other hand, he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi grew from an extremely humble background.&nbsp; 
 
He worked in the party organization till he was inducted into the leadership and he had to work and struggle for the positions that he got.&nbsp; 
 
'He earned them," Jaitley said and exuded confidence that Modi and aspirational India would together demolish the concept of families.&nbsp; 
 
'The real strength of democracy will be realized when the myth of dynasties is finally buried and these parties are taken over by men of competence and merit. That will provide Indians with a choice'&nbsp;the minister remarked. 
 
India will start voting to elect next Lok Sabha from April 11. The results would be announced on May 23.&nbsp;

'One failed. The other won't take-off', Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said as he took a jibe on the entry of Priyanka Gandhi into politics. Generation after generation, the Congress Party's leadership berth is reserved for a member of the preferred family, he said as he traced the post-independence history of the party from Jawaharlal Nehru to Indira Gandhi to Sanjay Gandhi to Rajiv Gandhi.

'One failed. The other won't take-off', Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said as he took a jibe on the entry of Priyanka Gandhi into politics. Generation after generation, the Congress Party's leadership berth is reserved for a member of the preferred family, he said as he traced the post-independence history of the party from Jawaharlal Nehru to Indira Gandhi to Sanjay Gandhi to Rajiv Gandhi. Continuing the series of his blogs on 'Agenda 2019', he said the Congress tried to remove itself from the shackles of the dynasty for a brief period after the unfortunate assassination of Rajiv Gandhi but could not get out of its clutches for long. 'Smt. Sonia Gandhi then took over as the longest serving President of the Indian National Congress and thereafter passed on the leadership baton of the Party to her son Rahul Gandhi. 'Thus, generation after generation, the Congress Party's leadership berth is reserved for a member of the preferred family. When the Party is now in doldrums, another member of the family has entered the scene,' said the senior BJP leader who is in charge of the party's publicity committee. Jaitley was referring to Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who has been recently appointed as Congress general secretary in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh. The Finance Minister further said: "The key question is - will the dynastic parties learn from their 2014 drubbing and a possible defeat in 2019? 'Possibly not. It is here that the people of India will have to bring about a change. India is not a monarchy. Neither is it a kingdom or dynastic democracy. Dynasts disapprove persons of talent and merit. 'The real strength of democracy will be realized when the myth of dynasties is finally buried and these parties are taken over by men of competence and merit. That will provide Indians with a better choice, he said. Another curious feature, he said, is that most families where a single dynasty created the party, have moved into the next generation. 'In the next generation, there may be more than one heir. Both the heirs become aspirational and, therefore, the parent dynast distributes the largesse. But recent history has proved otherwise,' Jaitley said. He added that Chinese philosopher Confucius had rightly said that just as there can be only one sun in the sky, there can be only one emperor on the Earth. 'Where power-sharing between successor dynasts takes place, who is the ultimate emperor?, 'he wondered as he highlighted instances of family-based political parties in states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh. In Karnataka, he said there is an experiment of sons sharing the state and the grandsons sharing the Centre, and in Maharashtra, the initial ripples have started. 'The Congress has undertaken the same experiment. It believes that the two owners are better than one. Will Confucius be proved right and historical record that one eventually prevailed over the other or will it be otherwise. One failed. The other won't take-off,' Jaitley said. On the other hand, he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi grew from an extremely humble background. He worked in the party organization till he was inducted into the leadership and he had to work and struggle for the positions that he got. 'He earned them," Jaitley said and exuded confidence that Modi and aspirational India would together demolish the concept of families. 'The real strength of democracy will be realized when the myth of dynasties is finally buried and these parties are taken over by men of competence and merit. That will provide Indians with a choice' the minister remarked. India will start voting to elect next Lok Sabha from April 11. The results would be announced on May 23.

One failed, the other won't take-off, Arun Jaitley's jibe on Congress

Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi's daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra officially started her career in active politics in February 2019, just a few months before general elections. Congress president Rahul Gandhi introduced her as general secretary in charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh. But the question is: Will she be a lucky charm for Congress in Uttar Pradesh?

Priyanka Gandhi is very famous in Amethi and Rae Bareli; she had campaigned during the 2009 and 2014 Lok Sabha polls and Congress had won both the seats.

The eastern part of Uttar Pradesh accounts for 42 Lok Sabha seats from the sub-regions of Avadh and Purvanchal. In 2009, Congress won 21 seats in Uttar Pradesh and 15 of them were from east UP. In 2014, the tally was reduced to just two. So, Priyanka has a tough job at hand, especially because the region also includes Gorakhpur and Varanasi - the strongholds of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, respectively.

The 2014 Lok Sabha polls saw Congress getting 10 per cent of vote share in east Uttar Pradesh and winning just two seats - it's the pocket borough of Amethi and Rae Bareli.

Even if Congress's gamble pays off and Priyanka factor works for the party, it is not going to give a boost to the number of seats it won in last Lok Sabha elections. The reason is coming together of Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). With the SP-BSP combine at play in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, going by the last vote share, the BJP and its alliance partners are likely to get 37 seats, the SP, BSP and RLD 41, and Congress will remain at two.

If Congress gets two per cent more vote share and the SP-BSP combine loses out its two per cent, it will not translate into a seat for the INC. In fact, the SP-BSP loss is likely to benefit the BJP which can get 44 seats.

If there is a gain of three per cent to Congress and loss of three per cent to SP-BSP alliance, the beneficiary again will be BJP. This will increase its seats from 37 to 46 seats, SP-BSP alliance will get 33, and INC two.

The only scenario which can work for Congress is if Priyanka is able to garner 10 per cent more votes for the party. The Congress will then get four seats, but after coming together of SP and BSP, an upward swing of 10 per cent in favour of Congress looks nearly impossible.

If we look at the past, Priyanka had promised her mother Sonia Gandhi during the 2012 assembly election a perfect 10 in Rae Bareli and Amethi (both have five assembly constituencies each). But the party couldn't even win a single seat in Amethi.

Adding to the pressure is the SP-BSP alliance. In 2014 Lok Sabha polls, even though SP won just five seats and BSP failed to win a single seat, their combined vote share of 42.12 per cent was almost equal to 42.63 per cent of BJP which won 71 seats.

The political arithmetic, caste politics and alliance challenges make the going tough for Priyanka. The Congress is banking on her charisma to revive its fortunes in Uttar Pradesh. The poll bugle has been sounded, now it remains to be seen how she tackles the tough battle of eastern UP. 
 
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi's daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra officially started her career in active politics in February 2019, just a few months before general elections.

Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi's daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra officially started her career in active politics in February 2019, just a few months before general elections. Congress president Rahul Gandhi introduced her as general secretary in charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh. But the question is: Will she be a lucky charm for Congress in Uttar Pradesh? Priyanka Gandhi is very famous in Amethi and Rae Bareli; she had campaigned during the 2009 and 2014 Lok Sabha polls and Congress had won both the seats. The eastern part of Uttar Pradesh accounts for 42 Lok Sabha seats from the sub-regions of Avadh and Purvanchal. In 2009, Congress won 21 seats in Uttar Pradesh and 15 of them were from east UP. In 2014, the tally was reduced to just two. So, Priyanka has a tough job at hand, especially because the region also includes Gorakhpur and Varanasi - the strongholds of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, respectively. The 2014 Lok Sabha polls saw Congress getting 10 per cent of vote share in east Uttar Pradesh and winning just two seats - it's the pocket borough of Amethi and Rae Bareli. Even if Congress's gamble pays off and Priyanka factor works for the party, it is not going to give a boost to the number of seats it won in last Lok Sabha elections. The reason is coming together of Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). With the SP-BSP combine at play in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, going by the last vote share, the BJP and its alliance partners are likely to get 37 seats, the SP, BSP and RLD 41, and Congress will remain at two. If Congress gets two per cent more vote share and the SP-BSP combine loses out its two per cent, it will not translate into a seat for the INC. In fact, the SP-BSP loss is likely to benefit the BJP which can get 44 seats. If there is a gain of three per cent to Congress and loss of three per cent to SP-BSP alliance, the beneficiary again will be BJP. This will increase its seats from 37 to 46 seats, SP-BSP alliance will get 33, and INC two. The only scenario which can work for Congress is if Priyanka is able to garner 10 per cent more votes for the party. The Congress will then get four seats, but after coming together of SP and BSP, an upward swing of 10 per cent in favour of Congress looks nearly impossible. If we look at the past, Priyanka had promised her mother Sonia Gandhi during the 2012 assembly election a perfect 10 in Rae Bareli and Amethi (both have five assembly constituencies each). But the party couldn't even win a single seat in Amethi. Adding to the pressure is the SP-BSP alliance. In 2014 Lok Sabha polls, even though SP won just five seats and BSP failed to win a single seat, their combined vote share of 42.12 per cent was almost equal to 42.63 per cent of BJP which won 71 seats. The political arithmetic, caste politics and alliance challenges make the going tough for Priyanka. The Congress is banking on her charisma to revive its fortunes in Uttar Pradesh. The poll bugle has been sounded, now it remains to be seen how she tackles the tough battle of eastern UP. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

Lok Sabha polls: Analysing the battle of east UP and the Priyanka factor

Rahul Gandhi-led Congress party on Thursday released its first official list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi will contest the election from Rae Bareli, while Rahul Gandhi will contest from Amethi.

The list of 15 candidates includes 11 from Uttar Pradesh and 4 from Gujarat.

The<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/lok-sabha-2019-no-mention-of-priyanka-gandhi-vadra-as-congress-releases-first-list-of-candidates-201853"> list, however, does not name Priyanka Gandhi Vadra </a>who was named the party's General Secretary for UP East and made her political debut earlier this year.&nbsp;

Former Union ministers Salman Khursheed, RPN Singh and Jitin Prasad will be contesting from Farrukhabad, Kushi Nagar and Dhaurahra in Uttar Pradesh respectively.

Imran Masood will contest from Saharanpur (UP), Saleem Iqbal Shervani from Badaun(UP), Annu Tandon from Unnao (UP), Rajaram Pal from Akbarpur (UP), Brij Lal Khabri from Jalaun - SC (UP), Nirmal Khatri from Faizabad (UP).

While Raju Parmar will contest from Ahmedabad West - SC (Gujarat), Bharat Sinh M Solanki from Anand (Gujarat), Prashant Patel from Vadodara (Gujarat) and Ranjit MohanSinh Rathwa from Chhota Udaipur - ST (Gujarat). Lok Sabha elections are due by May end.

The Election Commission is expected to announce its&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/election-commission-to-announce-lok-sabha-elections-soon-logistic-preparations-almost-over-201813">schedule for the high-voltage Lok Sabha elections</a>&nbsp;soon. The polls are likely to be&nbsp;spread over 7-8 phases in April-May, news agency PTI reported.&nbsp;

Sources said the poll panel is in final stages of completing its logistical preparations to hold elections for the 17th Lok Sabha and a detailed polling schedule could be announced as early this weekend or by early next week.

The term of the present Lok Sabha ends on June 3.

The announcement of dates for the elections, in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi will make his bid to return to power amid hectic parleys by several political parties to put a united fight against the ruling BJP, would be followed by a meeting of election observers next week for the first and second phase of polling.

A senior Election Commission functionary said the poll panel is now prepared to announce the dates "any day" and it could happen over the weekend or at most by Tuesday, PTI reported.&nbsp;

Notification for the first phase could be issued by the end of March for voting sometime in early April, sources suggested.

(With inputs from news agencies)

Rahul Gandhi-led Congress party on Thursday released its first official list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi will contest the election from Rae Bareli, while Rahul Gandhi will contest from Amethi.

Rahul Gandhi-led Congress party on Thursday released its first official list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi will contest the election from Rae Bareli, while Rahul Gandhi will contest from Amethi. The list of 15 candidates includes 11 from Uttar Pradesh and 4 from Gujarat. The list, however, does not name Priyanka Gandhi Vadra who was named the party's General Secretary for UP East and made her political debut earlier this year. Former Union ministers Salman Khursheed, RPN Singh and Jitin Prasad will be contesting from Farrukhabad, Kushi Nagar and Dhaurahra in Uttar Pradesh respectively. Imran Masood will contest from Saharanpur (UP), Saleem Iqbal Shervani from Badaun(UP), Annu Tandon from Unnao (UP), Rajaram Pal from Akbarpur (UP), Brij Lal Khabri from Jalaun - SC (UP), Nirmal Khatri from Faizabad (UP). While Raju Parmar will contest from Ahmedabad West - SC (Gujarat), Bharat Sinh M Solanki from Anand (Gujarat), Prashant Patel from Vadodara (Gujarat) and Ranjit MohanSinh Rathwa from Chhota Udaipur - ST (Gujarat). Lok Sabha elections are due by May end. The Election Commission is expected to announce its schedule for the high-voltage Lok Sabha elections soon. The polls are likely to be spread over 7-8 phases in April-May, news agency PTI reported. Sources said the poll panel is in final stages of completing its logistical preparations to hold elections for the 17th Lok Sabha and a detailed polling schedule could be announced as early this weekend or by early next week. The term of the present Lok Sabha ends on June 3. The announcement of dates for the elections, in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi will make his bid to return to power amid hectic parleys by several political parties to put a united fight against the ruling BJP, would be followed by a meeting of election observers next week for the first and second phase of polling. A senior Election Commission functionary said the poll panel is now prepared to announce the dates "any day" and it could happen over the weekend or at most by Tuesday, PTI reported. Notification for the first phase could be issued by the end of March for voting sometime in early April, sources suggested. (With inputs from news agencies)

Lok Sabha polls: First list of Congress candidates out, Sonia Gandhi to contest from Rae Bareli; Rahul from Amethi

Robert Vadra, the brother-in-law of Congress president Rahul Gandhi, has hinted at joining politics, a month after his wife Priyanka Gandhi made her debut into active politics and was appointed a general secretary in the party.

In a Facebook post, Vadra said, "All these years of experience and learning cannot be just wasted and should be put to better use...Once all these accusations and allegations are over, I feel I should dedicate a larger role in serving the people."

"Years and months I spent campaigning, working in different parts of the country, but mainly in UP, gave me a feeling to do more for people and make smaller changes possible by me, in areas and when they got to know me, the genuine love, affection, respect I earned was humbling," he said.

Forty-nine-year-old Vadra, who has been repeatedly questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the recent past in connection with money laundering and land grab cases, accused the government of targeting him to divert the attention from the real issues confronting the country.

"More than a decade of different governments being after me, using and highlighting my name to divert real issues of the country (sic)," he said.

"People of the country gradually realised this Modus and knew there was no truth in any of these allegations. People reach out and show respect and wish me luck for a better future," he said.

"Now with my visits to the Enforcement Directorate in Delhi and Rajasthan, almost &nbsp;8 visits, of many hours &nbsp;and since I have always adhered to rules and surely not above the law, I have been a person to learn from every event I go through."

Priyanka Gandhi joined Congress on January 23 and was appointed general secretary for Uttar Pradesh (East).

She has been assigned a tough task to revive Congress in UP, particularly the eastern part of the state.

On Saturday, Congress had announced various committees for UP ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

In his post, Vadra also referred to the social service he has been doing with various organisations.

Of late, Vadra`s Facebook page is full of his pictures doing social service. His close aide Jagdish Sharma has also been putting out Vadra`s pictures on social media. Vadra had also in the past hinted at joining politics and had been seen in the Gandhi strongholds of Raebareli and Amethi.

According to a source, he was keen to contest about a decade back, but it was put on hold at that time. Asked about Vadra`s questioning by the ED, Priyanka Gandhi had told ANI in Lucknow, "These things will go on and I will do my work."&nbsp;

Robert Vadra, the brother-in-law of Congress president Rahul Gandhi, has hinted at joining politics, a month after his wife Priyanka Gandhi made her debut into active politics and was appointed a general secretary in the party.

Robert Vadra, the brother-in-law of Congress president Rahul Gandhi, has hinted at joining politics, a month after his wife Priyanka Gandhi made her debut into active politics and was appointed a general secretary in the party. In a Facebook post, Vadra said, "All these years of experience and learning cannot be just wasted and should be put to better use...Once all these accusations and allegations are over, I feel I should dedicate a larger role in serving the people." "Years and months I spent campaigning, working in different parts of the country, but mainly in UP, gave me a feeling to do more for people and make smaller changes possible by me, in areas and when they got to know me, the genuine love, affection, respect I earned was humbling," he said. Forty-nine-year-old Vadra, who has been repeatedly questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the recent past in connection with money laundering and land grab cases, accused the government of targeting him to divert the attention from the real issues confronting the country. "More than a decade of different governments being after me, using and highlighting my name to divert real issues of the country (sic)," he said. "People of the country gradually realised this Modus and knew there was no truth in any of these allegations. People reach out and show respect and wish me luck for a better future," he said. "Now with my visits to the Enforcement Directorate in Delhi and Rajasthan, almost 8 visits, of many hours and since I have always adhered to rules and surely not above the law, I have been a person to learn from every event I go through." Priyanka Gandhi joined Congress on January 23 and was appointed general secretary for Uttar Pradesh (East). She has been assigned a tough task to revive Congress in UP, particularly the eastern part of the state. On Saturday, Congress had announced various committees for UP ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. In his post, Vadra also referred to the social service he has been doing with various organisations. Of late, Vadra`s Facebook page is full of his pictures doing social service. His close aide Jagdish Sharma has also been putting out Vadra`s pictures on social media. Vadra had also in the past hinted at joining politics and had been seen in the Gandhi strongholds of Raebareli and Amethi. According to a source, he was keen to contest about a decade back, but it was put on hold at that time. Asked about Vadra`s questioning by the ED, Priyanka Gandhi had told ANI in Lucknow, "These things will go on and I will do my work."

I should dedicate a larger role in serving people: Robert Vadra hints at joining politics

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi's "development book" has improved much since 2014 and he and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's support, but they cannot be compared with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, the Shiv Sena said on Wednesday.

The remarks by the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/agreed-for-alliance-as-bjps-way-of-treating-allies-has-changed-uddhav-thackeray-198407">Uddhav Thackeray</a>-led party came two days after it sealed a pre-poll alliance with the BJP after years of bickering and criticism of its policies and leaders.

Responding to opposition criticism of the seat-sharing pact, the Sena, in an editorial in party mouthpiece 'Saamana', said questions on tie-up are less in the minds of people but much more among political opponents as these "insects" will be crushed due to the alliance.

Referring to Modi's stewardship, it said, "Rahul Gandhi's book of development has improved much since 2014 and he has Priyanka's help.&nbsp;However, they can't be compared with Modi's leadership."

Asserting that the party is not helpless for power, the editorial said there are several questions - like why did it ally with the BJP despite differences in 2014, will the Ram Temple be constructed, will there be Sena's chief minister - and their answers are "positive".

Instead of replying to questions on the alliance, it is better that the "arrangement" made for the benefit of Maharashtra is taken ahead, it said.

The Marathi daily said BJP president Amit Shah himself came to Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray's suburban residence 'Matoshree'. Thackeray told him what he had to and it was finally decided to give the alliance another chance.

Maintaining that there was no enmity between the Sena and the BJP, it said if (Bihar chief minister and JD-U head) Nitish Kumar could join the NDA despite differences of opinion with Modi and if the Congress could forge a "mahagathbandhan" (grand alliance), then the Sena has always been a part of the BJP-led coalition.

The Sena said there was resentment in 2014 against the Congress and its allies and there was a "wave" in favour of Modi.

However, in 2019, the wave has receded and elections have to be fought not on the back of the "wave", but on ideology, development works and future, it added.

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi's "development book" has improved much since 2014 and he and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's support, but they cannot be compared with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, the Shiv Sena said on Wednesday.

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi's "development book" has improved much since 2014 and he and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's support, but they cannot be compared with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, the Shiv Sena said on Wednesday. The remarks by the Uddhav Thackeray-led party came two days after it sealed a pre-poll alliance with the BJP after years of bickering and criticism of its policies and leaders. Responding to opposition criticism of the seat-sharing pact, the Sena, in an editorial in party mouthpiece 'Saamana', said questions on tie-up are less in the minds of people but much more among political opponents as these "insects" will be crushed due to the alliance. Referring to Modi's stewardship, it said, "Rahul Gandhi's book of development has improved much since 2014 and he has Priyanka's help. However, they can't be compared with Modi's leadership." Asserting that the party is not helpless for power, the editorial said there are several questions - like why did it ally with the BJP despite differences in 2014, will the Ram Temple be constructed, will there be Sena's chief minister - and their answers are "positive". Instead of replying to questions on the alliance, it is better that the "arrangement" made for the benefit of Maharashtra is taken ahead, it said. The Marathi daily said BJP president Amit Shah himself came to Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray's suburban residence 'Matoshree'. Thackeray told him what he had to and it was finally decided to give the alliance another chance. Maintaining that there was no enmity between the Sena and the BJP, it said if (Bihar chief minister and JD-U head) Nitish Kumar could join the NDA despite differences of opinion with Modi and if the Congress could forge a "mahagathbandhan" (grand alliance), then the Sena has always been a part of the BJP-led coalition. The Sena said there was resentment in 2014 against the Congress and its allies and there was a "wave" in favour of Modi. However, in 2019, the wave has receded and elections have to be fought not on the back of the "wave", but on ideology, development works and future, it added.

Rahul, Priyanka Gandhi no match for Modi's leadership: Shiv Sena

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has got down to business. A day after a roadshow and being with her mother-in-law in Jaipur, the newly-appointed Congress general secretary and east UP in charge met the party workers and sought details of their social media accounts.

The politicians and party workers who want to meet Priyanka are given a form asking for basic information like age, electoral experience, whether they have held any organisational positions, their Twitter handles and WhatsApp numbers.

The information about Twitter handles is being sought to gauge the social media presence of the individual.

Congress has been late on this platform but realised its importance in shaping public opinion. Just days ago, Priyanka Gandhi also made a debut on Twitter and got lakhs of followers in just a few hours. 
 
<img alt="Feedback Form" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="5f7d1e0f-f1bd-4866-85bc-86a4a970db72" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/Form%20%281%29.jpg" />

BSP president Mayawati also opened a Twitter account recently in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections. There was a time when her party used to say that BSP supporters do not watch TV and don't get influenced by surveys. This myth was shattered both in the last Lok Sabha elections as well as Uttar Pradesh assembly elections where BSP suffered major reverses. It is for this reason that Congress wants to map social influencers within its own organisation.

The WhatsApp number is being sought because Congress wants to create a feedback and direct communication mechanism with every person within the party's eco-system. It wants to turn a platform made for personal communication into a broadcast mechanism. The BJP used WhatsApp brilliantly in Gujarat and snatched the elections from the jaws of defeat.

The collation will allow Data Analytics department in Delhi to create faster and honest feedback for the leadership.

But what makes this form truly Indian is that it also asks for the caste and sub-caste status of an individual. The caste system is India's hard and ugly reality and no political party in the country gives tickets without taking caste into consideration. So is the case with Congress.

Every party speaks against the caste system. Indian Constitution intends to correct social inequity caused by the caste system through the reservation. Even then political parties do not move away from the caste matrix.&nbsp;

This is the irony of the Indian politics that commitment to erase caste from public life remains only on paper and seminar halls.&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has got down to business. A day after a roadshow and being with her mother-in-law in Jaipur, the newly-appointed Congress general secretary and east UP in charge met the party workers and sought details of their social media accounts.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has got down to business. A day after a roadshow and being with her mother-in-law in Jaipur, the newly-appointed Congress general secretary and east UP in charge met the party workers and sought details of their social media accounts. The politicians and party workers who want to meet Priyanka are given a form asking for basic information like age, electoral experience, whether they have held any organisational positions, their Twitter handles and WhatsApp numbers. The information about Twitter handles is being sought to gauge the social media presence of the individual. Congress has been late on this platform but realised its importance in shaping public opinion. Just days ago, Priyanka Gandhi also made a debut on Twitter and got lakhs of followers in just a few hours. BSP president Mayawati also opened a Twitter account recently in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections. There was a time when her party used to say that BSP supporters do not watch TV and don't get influenced by surveys. This myth was shattered both in the last Lok Sabha elections as well as Uttar Pradesh assembly elections where BSP suffered major reverses. It is for this reason that Congress wants to map social influencers within its own organisation. The WhatsApp number is being sought because Congress wants to create a feedback and direct communication mechanism with every person within the party's eco-system. It wants to turn a platform made for personal communication into a broadcast mechanism. The BJP used WhatsApp brilliantly in Gujarat and snatched the elections from the jaws of defeat. The collation will allow Data Analytics department in Delhi to create faster and honest feedback for the leadership. But what makes this form truly Indian is that it also asks for the caste and sub-caste status of an individual. The caste system is India's hard and ugly reality and no political party in the country gives tickets without taking caste into consideration. So is the case with Congress. Every party speaks against the caste system. Indian Constitution intends to correct social inequity caused by the caste system through the reservation. Even then political parties do not move away from the caste matrix. This is the irony of the Indian politics that commitment to erase caste from public life remains only on paper and seminar halls. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

Hard to ignore? Congress form asks for caste along with Twitter, WhatsApp

JD(U) leader and election strategist Prashant Kishor said that Priyanka Gandhi's highly anticipated <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/i-hope-we-can-together-start-a-new-kind-of-politics-priyanka-gandhi-says-on-lucknow-road-show-196688">induction in the Congress</a> will not impact the forthcoming general elections.

He said Priyanka Gandhi is not a big challenge while adding that to create an impact one needs time and that nobody had a "magic wand" which could perform a miracle for the Congress party.

Addressing the media here, Kishor said, “She is just starting, nobody has a magic wand. I don't see her as a big challenge in the short run, not because she lacks capability but because it's hard to make an impact in a short time. In long run, she is a big face and name.”

The newly-appointed Congress general secretary for East Uttar Pradesh, Priyanka on Monday, made her much-awaited political debut by holding a mega road show along with brother and party president Rahul Gandhi in Lucknow. Her fellow UP in-charge Jyotiraditya Scindia was also present at the event.

Priyanka was given charge of Uttar Pradesh east as Congress party’s general secretary on January 23.

JD(U) leader and election strategist Prashant Kishor said that Priyanka Gandhi's highly anticipated induction in the Congress will not impact the forthcoming general elections.

JD(U) leader and election strategist Prashant Kishor said that Priyanka Gandhi's highly anticipated induction in the Congress will not impact the forthcoming general elections. He said Priyanka Gandhi is not a big challenge while adding that to create an impact one needs time and that nobody had a "magic wand" which could perform a miracle for the Congress party. Addressing the media here, Kishor said, “She is just starting, nobody has a magic wand. I don't see her as a big challenge in the short run, not because she lacks capability but because it's hard to make an impact in a short time. In long run, she is a big face and name.” The newly-appointed Congress general secretary for East Uttar Pradesh, Priyanka on Monday, made her much-awaited political debut by holding a mega road show along with brother and party president Rahul Gandhi in Lucknow. Her fellow UP in-charge Jyotiraditya Scindia was also present at the event. Priyanka was given charge of Uttar Pradesh east as Congress party’s general secretary on January 23.

Nobody has a magic wand: Prashant Kishor on Priyanka Gandhi's impact on Lok Sabha polls

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra took Lucknow by storm Monday afternoon.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/opinions/priyanka-gandhi-enters-active-politics-congress-plays-its-last-trump-card-192277">The recently-appointed Congress general secretary of eastern Uttar Pradesh</a>, accompanied by her brother and Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, and Congress leaders Jyotiraditya Scindia and Raj Babbar, held a 20-kilometre roadshow in the Uttar Pradesh capital on Monday.&nbsp;

UP is the country's most important state politically — sending 80 members to the Lok Sabha.&nbsp;

On Monday, Priyanka and the other Congress leaders rode out of the Lucknow airport on an open-top bus.&nbsp;

"It's like Indira Gandhi has come back," Reuters reported Fuzail Ahmed Khan, 45, a Congress supporter as saying. "The state's farmers want Rahul Gandhi to be prime minister, Priyanka to be chief minister."

As Priyanka's cavalcade rolled through the streets of Lucknow, Congress workers showered rose petals and threw marigold garlands at her.&nbsp;

Some posters showed Priyanka Gandhi as Goddess Durga on a lion.

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Visuals?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Visuals</a> from Congress' roadshow in Lucknow. General Secretary for Uttar Pradesh East Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, General Secretary for Uttar Pradesh West Jyotiraditya Scindia and party President Rahul Gandhi are crossing Transport Nagar <a href="https://t.co/MbKZc4fNnF">pic.twitter.com/MbKZc4fNnF</a>
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/1094882545831985152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WATCH</a>: Congress President Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and Jyotiraditya Scindia sit down to avoid overhanging electrical wires during their roadshow in Lucknow. <a href="https://t.co/1lVmDMOyrV">pic.twitter.com/1lVmDMOyrV</a>
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/1094900337088086017?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Visuals?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Visuals</a> from the roadshow of Congress President Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and Jyotiraditya Scindia in Lucknow <a href="https://t.co/J7aZUJc5Dw">pic.twitter.com/J7aZUJc5Dw</a>
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/1094911889564258305?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2019</a></blockquote>
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"Maa Durga ka roop behen Priyankaji (Sister Priyanka is Maa Durga's incarnation)," read a poster. Another highlighted her resemblance with her grandmother Indira Gandhi.&nbsp;

"I hope that we can together start a new kind of politics," Priyanka said in an audio message shared by Congress.

Priyanka has helped manage elections for her brother Rahul and her mother, former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, but has never held an official party post up until now.&nbsp;

"We'll play on front foot. Scindia ji, Priyanka ji and I won't rest until a government of Congress' ideology is formed here," Rahul said addressing the crowd.&nbsp;

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Lucknow: Congress General Secretary for Uttar Pradesh East Priyanka Gandhi Vadra &amp; Congress President Rahul Gandhi pay floral tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel <a href="https://t.co/limlEr4kMF">pic.twitter.com/limlEr4kMF</a>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Visuals?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Visuals</a>: Congress General Secretary for Uttar Pradesh East Priyanka Gandhi Vadra interacts with a child during the roadshow in Lucknow. The girl says, "I gave her a garland &amp; she gave me a chocolate. Later, she returned the garland to me &amp; said, 'Stay happy'. <a href="https://t.co/0h9PPYCiCm">pic.twitter.com/0h9PPYCiCm</a>
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The siblings later paid tribute to former Congressman and independent India's first home minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Priyanka did not speak.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra took Lucknow by storm Monday afternoon. The recently-appointed Congress general secretary of eastern Uttar Pradesh, accompanied by her brother and Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, and Congress leaders Jyotiraditya Scindia and Raj Babbar, held a 20-kilometre roadshow in the Uttar Pradesh capital on Monday.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra took Lucknow by storm Monday afternoon. The recently-appointed Congress general secretary of eastern Uttar Pradesh, accompanied by her brother and Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, and Congress leaders Jyotiraditya Scindia and Raj Babbar, held a 20-kilometre roadshow in the Uttar Pradesh capital on Monday. UP is the country's most important state politically — sending 80 members to the Lok Sabha. On Monday, Priyanka and the other Congress leaders rode out of the Lucknow airport on an open-top bus. "It's like Indira Gandhi has come back," Reuters reported Fuzail Ahmed Khan, 45, a Congress supporter as saying. "The state's farmers want Rahul Gandhi to be prime minister, Priyanka to be chief minister." As Priyanka's cavalcade rolled through the streets of Lucknow, Congress workers showered rose petals and threw marigold garlands at her. Some posters showed Priyanka Gandhi as Goddess Durga on a lion. #Visuals from Congress' roadshow in Lucknow. General Secretary for Uttar Pradesh East Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, General Secretary for Uttar Pradesh West Jyotiraditya Scindia and party President Rahul Gandhi are crossing Transport Nagar pic.twitter.com/MbKZc4fNnF — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) February 11, 2019 × #WATCH: Congress President Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and Jyotiraditya Scindia sit down to avoid overhanging electrical wires during their roadshow in Lucknow. pic.twitter.com/1lVmDMOyrV — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) February 11, 2019 × #Visuals from the roadshow of Congress President Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and Jyotiraditya Scindia in Lucknow pic.twitter.com/J7aZUJc5Dw — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) February 11, 2019 × "Maa Durga ka roop behen Priyankaji (Sister Priyanka is Maa Durga's incarnation)," read a poster. Another highlighted her resemblance with her grandmother Indira Gandhi. "I hope that we can together start a new kind of politics," Priyanka said in an audio message shared by Congress. Priyanka has helped manage elections for her brother Rahul and her mother, former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, but has never held an official party post up until now. "We'll play on front foot. Scindia ji, Priyanka ji and I won't rest until a government of Congress' ideology is formed here," Rahul said addressing the crowd. Lucknow: Congress General Secretary for Uttar Pradesh East Priyanka Gandhi Vadra & Congress President Rahul Gandhi pay floral tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel pic.twitter.com/limlEr4kMF — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) February 11, 2019 × #Visuals: Congress General Secretary for Uttar Pradesh East Priyanka Gandhi Vadra interacts with a child during the roadshow in Lucknow. The girl says, "I gave her a garland & she gave me a chocolate. Later, she returned the garland to me & said, 'Stay happy'. pic.twitter.com/0h9PPYCiCm — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) February 11, 2019 × The siblings later paid tribute to former Congressman and independent India's first home minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Priyanka did not speak. (With inputs from agencies)

'I hope we can together start a new kind of politics,' Priyanka Gandhi says on Lucknow roadshow

Preparations are underway in the Congress office in Lucknow to welcome their newly-appointed General Secretary for Eastern Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and General Secretary for Uttar Pradesh West Jyotiraditya Scindia on Monday.

&nbsp;Congress President Rahul Gandhi is slated to accompany Priyanka and Scindia.

Ahead of her first visit after being appointed as General Secretary for Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Priyanka said, "I am coming to Lucknow tomorrow and I wish that together we will begin a new politics and you be a part of it. Youth, women and marginalised, everyone's voices will be heard. Let's establish a new future and politics."

UP Congress Committee (UPCC) president Raj Babbar said, "From February 18 onwards, Priyanka and Scindia will start public interactions in their respective areas."

Priyanka and Scindia would stay till February 14, while Rahul is expected to return on the same day.

Since the announcement of SP-BSP alliance for the coming Lok Sabha polls in the state where two parties will contest on 38 seats each, the Congress leadership has been leaving nothing unturned to retain the party’s lost ground in the state, where they won only two seats—Rae Bareli and Amethi—in the last Lok Sabha polls.&nbsp;

Preparations are underway in the Congress office in Lucknow to welcome their newly-appointed General Secretary for Eastern Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and General Secretary for Uttar Pradesh West Jyotiraditya Scindia on Monday.

Preparations are underway in the Congress office in Lucknow to welcome their newly-appointed General Secretary for Eastern Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and General Secretary for Uttar Pradesh West Jyotiraditya Scindia on Monday. Congress President Rahul Gandhi is slated to accompany Priyanka and Scindia. Ahead of her first visit after being appointed as General Secretary for Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Priyanka said, "I am coming to Lucknow tomorrow and I wish that together we will begin a new politics and you be a part of it. Youth, women and marginalised, everyone's voices will be heard. Let's establish a new future and politics." UP Congress Committee (UPCC) president Raj Babbar said, "From February 18 onwards, Priyanka and Scindia will start public interactions in their respective areas." Priyanka and Scindia would stay till February 14, while Rahul is expected to return on the same day. Since the announcement of SP-BSP alliance for the coming Lok Sabha polls in the state where two parties will contest on 38 seats each, the Congress leadership has been leaving nothing unturned to retain the party’s lost ground in the state, where they won only two seats—Rae Bareli and Amethi—in the last Lok Sabha polls.

Lucknow: Stage set to welcome Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Jyotiraditya Scindia

Decked-up Lucknow welcomes Priyanka Gandhi as she makes political debut

Priyanka Gandhi kicks off campaign in Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow

One wonders why Jyotiraditya Scindia has been made the Congress party’s general secretary in-charge for western Uttar Pradesh for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. He doesn’t bring any special understanding of the region to the table, nor is he a charismatic figure there.

Also, although technically on a footing equal with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who too has been appointed general secretary but in charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh, Scindia cannot hope to match her profile or stature within the party even with the new assignment. One can, therefore, only speculate on the reasons.&nbsp;

Here’s speculation number one. The appointment is Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s way of keeping him away from the politics of Madhya Pradesh, where Kamal Nath is ensconced as chief minister. Scindia had been a formidable candidate to take over the reins of the government after the Congress displaced a Bharatiya Janata Party regime in the state recently.&nbsp;

He was both popular and close to Rahul Gandhi. When the Congress high command decided in Kamal Nath’s favour, it reportedly offered Scindia the deputy chief minister’s post, which was declined. Since then, the party felt it is prudent to avoid situations of direct conflict between Scindia and Kamal Nath, and thus, shifted the young leader out.&nbsp;

Speculation number two: The appointment is a way to cut Scindia down to size. His refusal to accept the deputy’s position was seen as a snub to the high command and to the Kamal Nath-Digvijaya Singh lobby. He was, thus, given charge of a region where the Congress stands little chance of doing well and can be made a scapegoat after the Congress fails in the region. Only days prior to his appointment, Scindia&nbsp;had a long meeting with senior BJP leader and former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan with whom he is said to share a good rapport. That may have rankled the high command too.&nbsp; 
 
And speculation number three is that Scindia will be used a foil in the post-result scenario for comparison with Priyanka’s performance in eastern Uttar Pradesh, where the Congress has a fighting chance to win a fistful of seats — at least two to four. This may be nothing to talk about, but it’s still better than zero, which is what many analysts believe the Congress will get in the western parts of the state.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Admittedly, all this is speculation. What is not speculation but a fact is that the Congress is weak and anaemic in western Uttar Pradesh. It could not do well even in the 2017 Assembly elections when most analysts had predicted trouble for the BJP there for a variety of factors. The Jats, comprising some 17 per cent of the population, are a dominant factor. 
 
They were supposedly angry with the BJP for having made a non-Jat the chief minister of neighbouring Haryana. Besides, they were said to have been a spanner in the works of the BJP’s larger Hindu consolidation drive. The Muslims, another important segment in the region, were upset with the BJP too. Ajit Singh’s party, the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), was tipped to spoil the BJP’s party and thus help others such as the Congress to gain a foothold in the region. And yet, nothing of these happened. The Congress failed miserably and the BJP romped home.&nbsp;

The situation is perhaps worse for the Congress this coming Lok Sabha polls. Not only is it pitted against the BJP but it has to also counter the combined might of the Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party- RLD. If the Jats are indeed so upset with the BJP that they have decided to vote against it, they will in probability go with the new alliance. The Muslims will not waste their votes on the Congress if they sense that the party is on a weak footing. Which voter segment is the Congress banking on?&nbsp;

Western Uttar Pradesh is also communally sensitive. The Muzaffarnagar riots during the Samajwadi party rule had led to a Hindu-Muslim polarisation of sorts, which benefitted the BJP in the last Assembly polls and brought no gains to the Congress which was unsure of its stand. The new grand alliance has the Dalit-Muslim plan up its sleeve this time to neutralise a possible Hindu re-consolidation. 
 
In the 2017 polls, the RLD had tied up with the Congress but gained little out of that alliance. Many believed that the Congress had pulled down Ajit Singh’s party, which is why the RLD has dumped the Congress for the 2019 elections.

Look at it any which way, Scindia’s official foray into western Uttar Pradesh’s politics is fraught with danger.&nbsp; 
 
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.) 
&nbsp;

One wonders why Jyotiraditya Scindia has been made the Congress party’s general secretary in-charge for western Uttar Pradesh for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. He doesn’t bring any special understanding of the region to the table, nor is he a charismatic figure there.

One wonders why Jyotiraditya Scindia has been made the Congress party’s general secretary in-charge for western Uttar Pradesh for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. He doesn’t bring any special understanding of the region to the table, nor is he a charismatic figure there. Also, although technically on a footing equal with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who too has been appointed general secretary but in charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh, Scindia cannot hope to match her profile or stature within the party even with the new assignment. One can, therefore, only speculate on the reasons. Here’s speculation number one. The appointment is Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s way of keeping him away from the politics of Madhya Pradesh, where Kamal Nath is ensconced as chief minister. Scindia had been a formidable candidate to take over the reins of the government after the Congress displaced a Bharatiya Janata Party regime in the state recently. He was both popular and close to Rahul Gandhi. When the Congress high command decided in Kamal Nath’s favour, it reportedly offered Scindia the deputy chief minister’s post, which was declined. Since then, the party felt it is prudent to avoid situations of direct conflict between Scindia and Kamal Nath, and thus, shifted the young leader out. Speculation number two: The appointment is a way to cut Scindia down to size. His refusal to accept the deputy’s position was seen as a snub to the high command and to the Kamal Nath-Digvijaya Singh lobby. He was, thus, given charge of a region where the Congress stands little chance of doing well and can be made a scapegoat after the Congress fails in the region. Only days prior to his appointment, Scindia had a long meeting with senior BJP leader and former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan with whom he is said to share a good rapport. That may have rankled the high command too. And speculation number three is that Scindia will be used a foil in the post-result scenario for comparison with Priyanka’s performance in eastern Uttar Pradesh, where the Congress has a fighting chance to win a fistful of seats — at least two to four. This may be nothing to talk about, but it’s still better than zero, which is what many analysts believe the Congress will get in the western parts of the state. Admittedly, all this is speculation. What is not speculation but a fact is that the Congress is weak and anaemic in western Uttar Pradesh. It could not do well even in the 2017 Assembly elections when most analysts had predicted trouble for the BJP there for a variety of factors. The Jats, comprising some 17 per cent of the population, are a dominant factor. They were supposedly angry with the BJP for having made a non-Jat the chief minister of neighbouring Haryana. Besides, they were said to have been a spanner in the works of the BJP’s larger Hindu consolidation drive. The Muslims, another important segment in the region, were upset with the BJP too. Ajit Singh’s party, the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), was tipped to spoil the BJP’s party and thus help others such as the Congress to gain a foothold in the region. And yet, nothing of these happened. The Congress failed miserably and the BJP romped home. The situation is perhaps worse for the Congress this coming Lok Sabha polls. Not only is it pitted against the BJP but it has to also counter the combined might of the Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party- RLD. If the Jats are indeed so upset with the BJP that they have decided to vote against it, they will in probability go with the new alliance. The Muslims will not waste their votes on the Congress if they sense that the party is on a weak footing. Which voter segment is the Congress banking on? Western Uttar Pradesh is also communally sensitive. The Muzaffarnagar riots during the Samajwadi party rule had led to a Hindu-Muslim polarisation of sorts, which benefitted the BJP in the last Assembly polls and brought no gains to the Congress which was unsure of its stand. The new grand alliance has the Dalit-Muslim plan up its sleeve this time to neutralise a possible Hindu re-consolidation. In the 2017 polls, the RLD had tied up with the Congress but gained little out of that alliance. Many believed that the Congress had pulled down Ajit Singh’s party, which is why the RLD has dumped the Congress for the 2019 elections. Look at it any which way, Scindia’s official foray into western Uttar Pradesh’s politics is fraught with danger. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

Is Congress trying to keep Jyotiraditya Scindia away from MP?

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra&nbsp;on Monday joined Twitter and garnered a massive response with tens of thousands following her on the social media platform within hours.

Her logging on to Twitter with the account @priyankagandhi came on the day of <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/watch-priyanka-gandhi-vadra-begins-roadshow-in-lucknow-196634">her maiden visit to Uttar Pradesh as an AICC general secretary</a>.

"Smt Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is now on Twitter. You may follow her at @priyankagandhi," a tweet from the Congress' official Twitter handle said.

She didn't post a tweet but followed seven people, including her brother and party chief Rahul Gandhi as well as party leaders Jyotiraditya Scindia, Sachin Pilot, Ashok Gehlot Randeep Singh Surjewala, Ahmed Patel and the Congress's official account.

<img alt="Priyanka gandhi profile" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2c6dd391-348c-4944-8f01-e2a1af5d3347" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/Priyanka%20gandhi%20profile.JPG" />

Over 57,000 people followed her within hours of her joining the microblogging site.

Priyanka Gandhi (47) and Scindia (48) took charge as AICC general secretary UP East and UP west respectively last week.

Congress seems to have learnt its lessons from 2014 and has been scaling up its operations on social media platforms to challenge the BJP on a front which has been the saffron party's forte.

Rahul Gandhi has also been using Twitter for his attacks on the government and analysts credit his aggressive social media campaign for a turnaround of his image among the people.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday joined Twitter and garnered a massive response with tens of thousands following her on the social media platform within hours.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday joined Twitter and garnered a massive response with tens of thousands following her on the social media platform within hours. Her logging on to Twitter with the account @priyankagandhi came on the day of her maiden visit to Uttar Pradesh as an AICC general secretary. "Smt Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is now on Twitter. You may follow her at @priyankagandhi," a tweet from the Congress' official Twitter handle said. She didn't post a tweet but followed seven people, including her brother and party chief Rahul Gandhi as well as party leaders Jyotiraditya Scindia, Sachin Pilot, Ashok Gehlot Randeep Singh Surjewala, Ahmed Patel and the Congress's official account. Over 57,000 people followed her within hours of her joining the microblogging site. Priyanka Gandhi (47) and Scindia (48) took charge as AICC general secretary UP East and UP west respectively last week. Congress seems to have learnt its lessons from 2014 and has been scaling up its operations on social media platforms to challenge the BJP on a front which has been the saffron party's forte. Rahul Gandhi has also been using Twitter for his attacks on the government and analysts credit his aggressive social media campaign for a turnaround of his image among the people.

Priyanka Gandhi makes Twitter debut, gets thousands of followers in a few hours

Newly-appointed Congress general secretary <a href="&lt;iframe width=&quot;560&quot; height=&quot;315&quot; src=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/embed/10cRuEahE2o&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; allow=&quot;accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture&quot; allowfullscreen&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;">Priyanka Gandhi&nbsp;Vadra arrived in Lucknow</a> on Monday afternoon to kick-start the party's roadshow ahead of the general election to be held in a few months.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi had recently appointed Priyanka as general secretary for Uttar Pradesh east which includes chief minister Yogi Adityanath's Gorakhpur constituency and PM Modi's Varanasi.

The roadshow&nbsp;which began from the Amausi airport in Lucknow will end at the party headquarters.

Priyanka was joined by her brother Rahul Gandhi during the roadshow as the Congress sought to showcase its strength in India's biggest state which sends 80 Lok Sabha MPs to Parliament.&nbsp;

Jyotiraditya Scindia who was appointed as campaign chief for Uttar Pradesh west also joined Priyanka on the roadshow along with Congress leader Raj Babbar.

Priyanka will be in the state for the next four days in which she will put in place a strategy to challenge the ruling BJP which dominates the state and the Centre.&nbsp;

Priyanka will be meeting state Congress leaders and party workers to energise the grassroots in eastern Uttar Pradesh which has been severely dented in the past two decades with the&nbsp;rise of the SP and BSP which have decided to fight together at the hustings.

Newly-appointed Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra arrived in Lucknow on Monday afternoon to kick-start the party's roadshow ahead of the general election to be held in a few months.

Newly-appointed Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra arrived in Lucknow on Monday afternoon to kick-start the party's roadshow ahead of the general election to be held in a few months. Congress president Rahul Gandhi had recently appointed Priyanka as general secretary for Uttar Pradesh east which includes chief minister Yogi Adityanath's Gorakhpur constituency and PM Modi's Varanasi. The roadshow which began from the Amausi airport in Lucknow will end at the party headquarters. Priyanka was joined by her brother Rahul Gandhi during the roadshow as the Congress sought to showcase its strength in India's biggest state which sends 80 Lok Sabha MPs to Parliament. Jyotiraditya Scindia who was appointed as campaign chief for Uttar Pradesh west also joined Priyanka on the roadshow along with Congress leader Raj Babbar. Priyanka will be in the state for the next four days in which she will put in place a strategy to challenge the ruling BJP which dominates the state and the Centre. Priyanka will be meeting state Congress leaders and party workers to energise the grassroots in eastern Uttar Pradesh which has been severely dented in the past two decades with the rise of the SP and BSP which have decided to fight together at the hustings.

Watch: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra begins roadshow in Lucknow

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/robert-vadra-questioned-for-8-hours-on-third-day-of-appearance-before-ed-196278">Robert Vadra</a>, who was questioned by the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/robert-vadra-questioned-by-ed-in-money-laundering-probe-wife-priyanka-says-i-support-my-family-195658">Enforcement Directorate (ED) </a>for three consecutive days last week in connection with a probe into allegations of money laundering to purchase assets abroad, said on Sunday that truth will always prevail.

"Morning, Just want to say thank you to all my friends and acquaintances who have reached out in support from all over the nation, at this time," Vadra said in a Facebook post.

Vadra, the brother-in-law of Congress president Rahul Gandhi and husband of AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi, was questioned for about eight hours by the ED on Saturday as he appeared before the agency for the third consecutive day.

"I'm fine, good and disciplined to deal with anything, I'm put through. 'Truth will always prevail'. Wishing you all a happy Sunday and a healthy week," he said.

He also faced two sessions of questioning on February 6 and 7.

While Vadra was quizzed for about five-and-a-half hours on Thursday, he was grilled for about 9 hours the next day.

Vadra has denied the allegations against him.&nbsp;

The ED case against Vadra relates to allegations of money laundering in the purchase of a London-based property located at 12, Bryanston Square worth 1.9 million GBP (British pounds), which is allegedly owned by him.

The agency has told a Delhi court that it has received information about various new properties in London which belong to Vadra.&nbsp;

These include two houses, one worth 5 million GBP and the other valued at 4 million GBP, six other flats and more properties.

Vadra has denied the allegations of possessing illegal foreign assets and termed them a political witch hunt against him.

He said he was being "hounded and harassed" to subserve political ends.

He is also expected to depose before the ED on February 12 in Jaipur in an another<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/robert-vadra-appears-before-ed-for-third-time-in-money-laundering-case-probe-196168"> money-laundering case </a>related to an alleged land scam in Bikaner.

The Rajasthan High Court has directed him to cooperate with the agency in the case.

Robert Vadra, who was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for three consecutive days last week in connection with a probe into allegations of money laundering to purchase assets abroad, said on Sunday that truth will always prevail.

Robert Vadra, who was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for three consecutive days last week in connection with a probe into allegations of money laundering to purchase assets abroad, said on Sunday that truth will always prevail. "Morning, Just want to say thank you to all my friends and acquaintances who have reached out in support from all over the nation, at this time," Vadra said in a Facebook post. Vadra, the brother-in-law of Congress president Rahul Gandhi and husband of AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi, was questioned for about eight hours by the ED on Saturday as he appeared before the agency for the third consecutive day. "I'm fine, good and disciplined to deal with anything, I'm put through. 'Truth will always prevail'. Wishing you all a happy Sunday and a healthy week," he said. He also faced two sessions of questioning on February 6 and 7. While Vadra was quizzed for about five-and-a-half hours on Thursday, he was grilled for about 9 hours the next day. Vadra has denied the allegations against him. The ED case against Vadra relates to allegations of money laundering in the purchase of a London-based property located at 12, Bryanston Square worth 1.9 million GBP (British pounds), which is allegedly owned by him. The agency has told a Delhi court that it has received information about various new properties in London which belong to Vadra. These include two houses, one worth 5 million GBP and the other valued at 4 million GBP, six other flats and more properties. Vadra has denied the allegations of possessing illegal foreign assets and termed them a political witch hunt against him. He said he was being "hounded and harassed" to subserve political ends. He is also expected to depose before the ED on February 12 in Jaipur in an another money-laundering case related to an alleged land scam in Bikaner. The Rajasthan High Court has directed him to cooperate with the agency in the case.

Truth will always prevail, says Robert Vadra

BJP president <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-general-elections-2019/shah-heaps-praises-on-pm-modi-says-he-makes-india-proud-by-speaking-in-hindi-at-un-193699">Amit Shah </a>on Tuesday mocked Priyanka Gandhi's decision to join politics and said a government run by a dynasty could not serve the people but could only provide a "majboor (helpless) government".

He also criticised the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) government in West Bengal and said the upcoming Lok Sabha polls would be about restoring democracy in the state.

"Narendra Modi will get elected as prime minister again after the Lok Sabha election. But in West Bengal, the polls will be about restoring democracy," Shah told a rally here.

Mocking the entry of Priyanka Gandhi into active politics, he said a government run by a dynasty could not serve the people but could only provide a "majboor government".

"During the UPA rule, we had witnessed huge scams such as 2G. Now the third G has jumped on the bandwagon...Now we have Priyanka G (Gandhi). What will be the amount of the scam?

"So now, they (the Congress) want to add 2G and the third G and indulge in more corruption," Shah said.

The Congress earlier this week appointed Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as general secretary for Uttar Pradesh (East). The charge will take effect from the first week of February.&nbsp;

The Priyanka Gandhi's appointment will initiate her active participation in country's politics right ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.'

The decision is seen as significant and pivotal for Congress' electoral plan ahead of this year's general elections. &nbsp;

&nbsp;

BJP president Amit Shah on Tuesday mocked Priyanka Gandhi's decision to join politics and said a government run by a dynasty could not serve the people but could only provide a "majboor (helpless) government".

BJP president Amit Shah on Tuesday mocked Priyanka Gandhi's decision to join politics and said a government run by a dynasty could not serve the people but could only provide a "majboor (helpless) government". He also criticised the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) government in West Bengal and said the upcoming Lok Sabha polls would be about restoring democracy in the state. "Narendra Modi will get elected as prime minister again after the Lok Sabha election. But in West Bengal, the polls will be about restoring democracy," Shah told a rally here. Mocking the entry of Priyanka Gandhi into active politics, he said a government run by a dynasty could not serve the people but could only provide a "majboor government". "During the UPA rule, we had witnessed huge scams such as 2G. Now the third G has jumped on the bandwagon...Now we have Priyanka G (Gandhi). What will be the amount of the scam? "So now, they (the Congress) want to add 2G and the third G and indulge in more corruption," Shah said. The Congress earlier this week appointed Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as general secretary for Uttar Pradesh (East). The charge will take effect from the first week of February. The Priyanka Gandhi's appointment will initiate her active participation in country's politics right ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.' The decision is seen as significant and pivotal for Congress' electoral plan ahead of this year's general elections.

Government run by dynasty cannot serve the people: Amit Shah

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's political debut as the Congress party's general secretary for eastern Uttar Pradesh is, as Prashant Kishor put it, one of the most awaited entries in Indian politics. It has created an unprecedented buzz and was the top trend worldwide on social media. That should make people in the party feel good. The question is what good will it do to the party's fortunes in the coming General Election. Equally important is the question: Why now?

As of now, no one knows whether and how her arrival on the scene will help the Congress party, hurt its principal opponent the BJP or harm the chances of friendly rivals like the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party. If the last of the Gandhis to take the plunge succeeds and the Congress ends up with a score or more Lok Sabha seats in UP besides becoming the main prop of a new government, then pundits and charlatans alike would hold forth on the success formula that did the trick. That is always after the results, never before.

On the other hand are those who believe that Priyanka's entry will wreck the SP-BSP alliance's chances of sweeping UP and boost the BJP's prospects, thereby ensuring the return of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Common to those rooting for her and the Cassandras is their view of Priyanka as a game changer. When, in fact, she may be not the game changer, but the game.

Seeing her as a game changer means speculating on the basis of outcomes which are unknowable at this stage. On the other hand, viewing her as the game could help one understand what considerations may have gone into the family's decision to launch her now.

The Congress party's sole aim is to increase its numbers in the Lok Sabha, regardless of whether this is achieved at the expense of the BJP, the SP-BSP alliance or any other party. Splitting the opposition vote has never held back any non-BJP party in electoral contests – every party is in the election, first and foremost, for itself. Thus, there is no reason for the Congress to give precedence to the interests and prospects of the SP-BSP alliance.

In UP, as elsewhere, the Congress party has hit rock-bottom. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the party won two seats and its vote share was 7.5 per cent. And, Rahul Gandhi did not win by a flattering margin in Amethi. The BJP's vote share was 42 per cent and the SP and BSP together accounted for 41 per cent. The assembly elections of 2017 saw the Congress fare even worse – its vote share fell further to 6.2 per cent whereas the SP-BSP together managed 44.2 per cent against the BJP's 39.47 per cent.&nbsp;

The SP's poor showing in the assembly election was blamed on its alliance with the Congress. This made the SP embrace Mayawati's BSP, leaving the Congress to fend for itself as a bit player in a state that elects 80 members to the Lok Sabha.

In the event, the Congress had little choice but to raise the stakes stupendously and go for broke. Which is exactly what it has done. Electoral necessity requires that it cast the BJP as its main enemy. Survival demands that it take votes from whoever else it can. After its recent victories in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, there is no way the Congress can afford to be on the back foot. Any sign of being marginalised, even if by allies, could weaken its governments in Karnataka, Rajasthan and MP.

Two, Congressmen being what they are have always looked to a vote-getter from the family to get them elected, with the party having no base, grassroots cadres and organisational structures in many parts of the country.

Three, while it is all very well to say that the non-BJP parties would decide their Prime Minister after the elections, the Congress has to project itself as the main challenger to the BJP. As matters stand and it became evident at the opposition's Kolkata rally, Rahul is not accorded any precedence over Mayawati and Mamata Banerjee.

With Sonia Gandhi retiring, the party would be bereft of a woman leader. This is a fraught deficiency in a party where, after Jawaharlal Nehru, it is two women – Sonia and Indira Gandhi – who were its most powerful leaders for long periods in the last 50 years. After Nehru, it is only under Sonia that the Congress got elected for two full terms. And, in history, Indira as a leader who won a war and split an 'enemy country' would occupy more pages than even Nehru.

These, among other considerations, left Priyanka as the only game the Congress could have played in the hope of a hawa turning the electoral tide. 
 
 
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's political debut as the Congress party's general secretary for eastern Uttar Pradesh is, as Prashant Kishor put it, one of the most awaited entries in Indian politics.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's political debut as the Congress party's general secretary for eastern Uttar Pradesh is, as Prashant Kishor put it, one of the most awaited entries in Indian politics. It has created an unprecedented buzz and was the top trend worldwide on social media. That should make people in the party feel good. The question is what good will it do to the party's fortunes in the coming General Election. Equally important is the question: Why now? As of now, no one knows whether and how her arrival on the scene will help the Congress party, hurt its principal opponent the BJP or harm the chances of friendly rivals like the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party. If the last of the Gandhis to take the plunge succeeds and the Congress ends up with a score or more Lok Sabha seats in UP besides becoming the main prop of a new government, then pundits and charlatans alike would hold forth on the success formula that did the trick. That is always after the results, never before. On the other hand are those who believe that Priyanka's entry will wreck the SP-BSP alliance's chances of sweeping UP and boost the BJP's prospects, thereby ensuring the return of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Common to those rooting for her and the Cassandras is their view of Priyanka as a game changer. When, in fact, she may be not the game changer, but the game. Seeing her as a game changer means speculating on the basis of outcomes which are unknowable at this stage. On the other hand, viewing her as the game could help one understand what considerations may have gone into the family's decision to launch her now. The Congress party's sole aim is to increase its numbers in the Lok Sabha, regardless of whether this is achieved at the expense of the BJP, the SP-BSP alliance or any other party. Splitting the opposition vote has never held back any non-BJP party in electoral contests – every party is in the election, first and foremost, for itself. Thus, there is no reason for the Congress to give precedence to the interests and prospects of the SP-BSP alliance. In UP, as elsewhere, the Congress party has hit rock-bottom. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the party won two seats and its vote share was 7.5 per cent. And, Rahul Gandhi did not win by a flattering margin in Amethi. The BJP's vote share was 42 per cent and the SP and BSP together accounted for 41 per cent. The assembly elections of 2017 saw the Congress fare even worse – its vote share fell further to 6.2 per cent whereas the SP-BSP together managed 44.2 per cent against the BJP's 39.47 per cent. The SP's poor showing in the assembly election was blamed on its alliance with the Congress. This made the SP embrace Mayawati's BSP, leaving the Congress to fend for itself as a bit player in a state that elects 80 members to the Lok Sabha. In the event, the Congress had little choice but to raise the stakes stupendously and go for broke. Which is exactly what it has done. Electoral necessity requires that it cast the BJP as its main enemy. Survival demands that it take votes from whoever else it can. After its recent victories in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, there is no way the Congress can afford to be on the back foot. Any sign of being marginalised, even if by allies, could weaken its governments in Karnataka, Rajasthan and MP. Two, Congressmen being what they are have always looked to a vote-getter from the family to get them elected, with the party having no base, grassroots cadres and organisational structures in many parts of the country. Three, while it is all very well to say that the non-BJP parties would decide their Prime Minister after the elections, the Congress has to project itself as the main challenger to the BJP. As matters stand and it became evident at the opposition's Kolkata rally, Rahul is not accorded any precedence over Mayawati and Mamata Banerjee. With Sonia Gandhi retiring, the party would be bereft of a woman leader. This is a fraught deficiency in a party where, after Jawaharlal Nehru, it is two women – Sonia and Indira Gandhi – who were its most powerful leaders for long periods in the last 50 years. After Nehru, it is only under Sonia that the Congress got elected for two full terms. And, in history, Indira as a leader who won a war and split an 'enemy country' would occupy more pages than even Nehru. These, among other considerations, left Priyanka as the only game the Congress could have played in the hope of a hawa turning the electoral tide. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Priyanka ko Vanakkam

Asserting that <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.wionews.com/opinions/priyanka-gandhi-enters-active-politics-congress-plays-its-last-trump-card-192277&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjoyNqZtobgAhXLh3AKHTHUDYEQFggFMAA&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;usg=AOvVaw2uVTNxpy-57Oj4EohFlkMh">Priyanka Gandhi Vadra</a>'s formal entry in active politics will have no impact on<a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.wionews.com/india-news/congress-appoints-priyanka-gandhi-vadra-general-secretary-for-uttar-pradesh-east-192219&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=0ahUKEwj6kbSptobgAhUbinAKHYXnBfsQFggFMAA&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;usg=AOvVaw1zkpQ7lkm2T0zluDuSmcsr"> Lok Sabha polls</a>, the BJP on Thursday said her appointment as Congress general secretary of Uttar Pradesh-East may have generated a buzz in Delhi but it has drawn no response from the region of which she has been made in-charge by her party.

Union Minister Manoj Sinha, who is Lok Sabha MP from Ghazipur in eastern UP, said Priyanka's appointment is an attempt by the Congress to gain some importance in the state as it was left in a "bad shape" after being left out of the SP-BSP alliance.

At a BJP press conference, he also played down ally Shiv Sena's praise for Priyanka, saying it is the party's "personal opinion".

"Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was made a general secretary in Delhi and you people have been discussing it here. But it seems that people of the region of which she has been made in-charge are not noticing it," Sinha said, adding her presence would have no impact on the general election.

He said that Lok Sabha election will be fought on a "different plane", stressing that the Modi government has "changed the lives of 22 crore families with its development policies".

He also lashed out at Congress president Rahul Gandhi over his use of "impolite" words against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Amethi, saying such language is "not used even in panchayat politics".

Sinha said Rahul Gandhi's remarks were condemnable.

Asserting that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's formal entry in active politics will have no impact on Lok Sabha polls, the BJP on Thursday said her appointment as Congress general secretary of Uttar Pradesh-East may have generated a buzz in Delhi but it has drawn no response from the region of which she has been made in-charge by her party.

Asserting that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's formal entry in active politics will have no impact on Lok Sabha polls, the BJP on Thursday said her appointment as Congress general secretary of Uttar Pradesh-East may have generated a buzz in Delhi but it has drawn no response from the region of which she has been made in-charge by her party. Union Minister Manoj Sinha, who is Lok Sabha MP from Ghazipur in eastern UP, said Priyanka's appointment is an attempt by the Congress to gain some importance in the state as it was left in a "bad shape" after being left out of the SP-BSP alliance. At a BJP press conference, he also played down ally Shiv Sena's praise for Priyanka, saying it is the party's "personal opinion". "Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was made a general secretary in Delhi and you people have been discussing it here. But it seems that people of the region of which she has been made in-charge are not noticing it," Sinha said, adding her presence would have no impact on the general election. He said that Lok Sabha election will be fought on a "different plane", stressing that the Modi government has "changed the lives of 22 crore families with its development policies". He also lashed out at Congress president Rahul Gandhi over his use of "impolite" words against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Amethi, saying such language is "not used even in panchayat politics". Sinha said Rahul Gandhi's remarks were condemnable.

No impact of Priyanka Gandhi on Lok Sabha polls, says BJP

Priyanka Gandhi: Post-Rajiv & Sonia era, the daughter rises

The last trump card of the Congress Party is out in open and has made Lok Sabha elections all the more interesting. It is not that Priyanka Gandhi is a novice in politics but the position of general secretary in charge of Eastern Uttar Pradesh only acknowledges the role she was playing in private in the Congress Party.

It also shows that nothing is cast in stone in politics. In fact, Priyanka Gandhi was already handling Sonia Gandhi’s constituency when Rahul Gandhi was studying abroad in the late 1990s. The code name given to her by the Special Protection Group was Bhaiya ji. It is used even today throughout Raebarelli and Amethi but this time by the party workers. It was only because of Sonia Gandhi’s insistence that baton was passed to Rahul despite the fact that Priyanka was interested in politics.&nbsp;

This decision led to Priyanka Gandhi getting confined to family bastions in Uttar Pradesh. Even then she remained connected with the decision-making process of the party in private.&nbsp;

Throughout she had been in charge of the family burrow and played an important role in 2017 UP Assembly elections which in the end proved to be a disaster as BJP smashed SP-Congress coalition.

So, her entry does not change the caste equations in Uttar Pradesh. Priyanka Gandhi, for now, only changes the mood within the party. Her entry will definitely enthuse workers. She is only in charge of Eastern UP and the Western part will be handled by Jyotiraditya Scindia whose graph continues to rise within the Congress party.

What is important to remember is that Eastern UP is the stronghold of current chief minister Yogi Adityanath who hails from Gorakhpur. Prime Minister Modi’s constituency also falls in this area.

The decision also shows the seriousness with which Congress is going to fight elections in Uttar Pradesh. It should worry the BJP as Priyanka can disrupt upper caste consolidation which, as of now, is standing solidly behind BJP.

There can be criticism too that Congress has become a party of the mother, son and daughter but it will not damage the party as those opposed to them are anyways voting for BJP.

Priyanka, on the other hand, will have to navigate the political space in Congress more carefully. Today, Rahul Gandhi is the party president and decides the policy of Congress. Priyanka Gandhi will have to limit herself to Uttar Pradesh.

She will also have to ensure that a second power centre does not emerge as Congress under Rahul Gandhi has gained stability after Sonia Gandhi reduced her public presence and forced the senior leadership to negotiate decision making with Rahul alone. Priyanka will easily get compared to Indira Gandhi. This will also make her task difficult. It will heighten the expectations within the party despite the fact that ground reality is quite different today.

In 2014, the winning margin of Rahul Gandhi came down by a lakh. In 2017, Congress performed very poorly in the assembly segments. Priyanka Gandhi will add a lot of glamour to the Congress party, but she will have to create a new ground for the party in the state. But the possibility exists. People forget that same Congress got 20+ seats in Lok Sabha after the then PM Manmohan Singh waived off farmers debt.

The enthusiasm generated by debuts is often succeeded by losses. It has been true for both Sonia and Rahul Gandhi. Sonia twice failed to get Congress into power. She lost both in 1998 and 1996 to BJP. It was worst for Rahul Gandhi. He lost 2014 elections and subsequently a number of states. The states where Congress won, the credit was given to the chief ministerial candidates.&nbsp;

This long spell of bad performance ended in 2019 when Congress swept the three Hindi heartland states. So, an entry can take place with a grand reception but road to success can be long and tiring. Priyanka Gandhi will have to negotiate the same path. 
&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

&nbsp;

The last trump card of the Congress Party is out in open and has made Lok Sabha elections all the more interesting. It is not that Priyanka Gandhi is a novice in politics but the position of general secretary in charge of Eastern Uttar Pradesh only acknowledges the role she was playing in private in the Congress Party.

The last trump card of the Congress Party is out in open and has made Lok Sabha elections all the more interesting. It is not that Priyanka Gandhi is a novice in politics but the position of general secretary in charge of Eastern Uttar Pradesh only acknowledges the role she was playing in private in the Congress Party. It also shows that nothing is cast in stone in politics. In fact, Priyanka Gandhi was already handling Sonia Gandhi’s constituency when Rahul Gandhi was studying abroad in the late 1990s. The code name given to her by the Special Protection Group was Bhaiya ji. It is used even today throughout Raebarelli and Amethi but this time by the party workers. It was only because of Sonia Gandhi’s insistence that baton was passed to Rahul despite the fact that Priyanka was interested in politics. This decision led to Priyanka Gandhi getting confined to family bastions in Uttar Pradesh. Even then she remained connected with the decision-making process of the party in private. Throughout she had been in charge of the family burrow and played an important role in 2017 UP Assembly elections which in the end proved to be a disaster as BJP smashed SP-Congress coalition. So, her entry does not change the caste equations in Uttar Pradesh. Priyanka Gandhi, for now, only changes the mood within the party. Her entry will definitely enthuse workers. She is only in charge of Eastern UP and the Western part will be handled by Jyotiraditya Scindia whose graph continues to rise within the Congress party. What is important to remember is that Eastern UP is the stronghold of current chief minister Yogi Adityanath who hails from Gorakhpur. Prime Minister Modi’s constituency also falls in this area. The decision also shows the seriousness with which Congress is going to fight elections in Uttar Pradesh. It should worry the BJP as Priyanka can disrupt upper caste consolidation which, as of now, is standing solidly behind BJP. There can be criticism too that Congress has become a party of the mother, son and daughter but it will not damage the party as those opposed to them are anyways voting for BJP. Priyanka, on the other hand, will have to navigate the political space in Congress more carefully. Today, Rahul Gandhi is the party president and decides the policy of Congress. Priyanka Gandhi will have to limit herself to Uttar Pradesh. She will also have to ensure that a second power centre does not emerge as Congress under Rahul Gandhi has gained stability after Sonia Gandhi reduced her public presence and forced the senior leadership to negotiate decision making with Rahul alone. Priyanka will easily get compared to Indira Gandhi. This will also make her task difficult. It will heighten the expectations within the party despite the fact that ground reality is quite different today. In 2014, the winning margin of Rahul Gandhi came down by a lakh. In 2017, Congress performed very poorly in the assembly segments. Priyanka Gandhi will add a lot of glamour to the Congress party, but she will have to create a new ground for the party in the state. But the possibility exists. People forget that same Congress got 20+ seats in Lok Sabha after the then PM Manmohan Singh waived off farmers debt. The enthusiasm generated by debuts is often succeeded by losses. It has been true for both Sonia and Rahul Gandhi. Sonia twice failed to get Congress into power. She lost both in 1998 and 1996 to BJP. It was worst for Rahul Gandhi. He lost 2014 elections and subsequently a number of states. The states where Congress won, the credit was given to the chief ministerial candidates. This long spell of bad performance ended in 2019 when Congress swept the three Hindi heartland states. So, an entry can take place with a grand reception but road to success can be long and tiring. Priyanka Gandhi will have to negotiate the same path. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Priyanka Gandhi enters active politics: Congress plays its last trump card

Congress party leader Priyanka Gandhi has denied the rumours of her mother, former Congress president Sonia Gandhi retiring from politics.

Priyanka Gandhi said that Sonia Gandhi will be fighting in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from her constituency, Raebareli, in Uttar Pradesh.

During an event, Priyanka Gandhi was asked if she would contest from Raebareli in 2019. She responded by saying, &quot;There is no question of my contesting, my mother will be contesting from Rae Bareli.&quot;

Priyanka Gandhi&#39;s remarks have scotched the speculation of earlier media reports which stated that Sonia Gandhi will retire from&nbsp;politics

On Friday, the Congress issued a clarification that she is only retiring as president and not from politics.

Priyanka&#39;s&nbsp;statement came during the elevation event of Rahul Gandhi as Congress Party president on Saturday.

Rahul Gandhi has finally taken over as a party president as Sonia Gandhi retires from the post.

Sonia Gandhi, who held the position for 19 years was the longest-serving president of the party.

The statement came during the elevation event of Rahul Gandhi as Congress Party president on Saturday

Congress party leader Priyanka Gandhi has denied the rumours of her mother, former Congress president Sonia Gandhi retiring from politics. Priyanka Gandhi said that Sonia Gandhi will be fighting in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from her constituency, Raebareli, in Uttar Pradesh. During an event, Priyanka Gandhi was asked if she would contest from Raebareli in 2019. She responded by saying, "There is no question of my contesting, my mother will be contesting from Rae Bareli." Priyanka Gandhi's remarks have scotched the speculation of earlier media reports which stated that Sonia Gandhi will retire from politics On Friday, the Congress issued a clarification that she is only retiring as president and not from politics. Priyanka's statement came during the elevation event of Rahul Gandhi as Congress Party president on Saturday. Rahul Gandhi has finally taken over as a party president as Sonia Gandhi retires from the post. Sonia Gandhi, who held the position for 19 years was the longest-serving president of the party.

Sonia Gandhi will fight from Rae Bareli: Priyanka Gandhi

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/congress-took-india-to-21st-century-but-the-pm-today-is-taking-us-back-to-medieval-times-rahul-gandhi-26892">PM Modi taking India back to medieval times: Rahul Gandhi</a>

In his inagurual speech after taking over as Congress president, Rahul Gandhi attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s policies and alleged &#39;&#39;Modi is taking us back to the medieval times&#39;&#39;.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/rahul-gandhi-takes-charge-as-congress-president-26891">&#39;&#39;Congress took India to&nbsp;</a>21st century, but the PM, today, is taking us back to the medieval times,&#39;&#39; Congress president Rahul Gandhi said.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-administration-may-revoke-rule-allowing-spouses-of-h-1b-visa-holders-to-work-in-the-united-states-26905">Trump administration may revoke rule allowing spouses of H-1B visa holders to work in </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-administration-may-revoke-rule-allowing-spouses-of-h-1b-visa-holders-to-work-in-the-united-states-26905">United</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-administration-may-revoke-rule-allowing-spouses-of-h-1b-visa-holders-to-work-in-the-united-states-26905"> States</a>

Trump administration had decided to revoke the rule that allows spouses of H-1B visa holders to work in the United States, likely causing a muddle in technology jobs, reports said on Saturday.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/pm-modi-26898">Only PM after Morarji Desai to take part in meeting of North-East Council: PM Modi in Shillong</a>

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Shillong-Nongstoin-Rongjeng-Tura Road in Meghalaya capital Shillong on Saturday.

The prime minister said the road will boost economic activity and establish a direct link between the important towns of the state.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/sonia-gandhi-will-fight-from-rae-bareli-priyanka-gandhi-26907">Sonia Gandhi will fight from Rae Bareli: Priyanka Gandhi</a>

Congress party leader Priyanka Gandhi has denied the rumours of her mother, former Congress president Sonia Gandhi retiring from politics.

Priyanka Gandhi said that Sonia Gandhi will be fighting in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from her constituency, Raebareli, in Uttar Pradesh.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/coal-scam-madhu-koda-gets-3-year-imprisonment-26890">Coal Scam: Madhu Koda gets 3-year imprisonment, 2 months interim bail granted</a>

A special CBI court in Delhi has sentenced former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda and his former coal secretary H C Gupta to 3-year imprisonment.

Koda has also been slapped with a fine of Rs 25 lakh while a Gupta has been fined Rs.1 lakh; three others to appeal in the high court reports ANI.&nbsp;

PM Modi taking India back to medieval times: Rahul Gandhi In his inagurual speech after taking over as Congress president, Rahul Gandhi attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi's policies and alleged ''Modi is taking us back to the medieval times''. ''Congress took India to 21st century, but the PM, today, is taking us back to the medieval times,'' Congress president Rahul Gandhi said. Trump administration may revoke rule allowing spouses of H-1B visa holders to work in United States Trump administration had decided to revoke the rule that allows spouses of H-1B visa holders to work in the United States, likely causing a muddle in technology jobs, reports said on Saturday. Only PM after Morarji Desai to take part in meeting of North-East Council: PM Modi in Shillong Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Shillong-Nongstoin-Rongjeng-Tura Road in Meghalaya capital Shillong on Saturday. The prime minister said the road will boost economic activity and establish a direct link between the important towns of the state. Sonia Gandhi will fight from Rae Bareli: Priyanka Gandhi Congress party leader Priyanka Gandhi has denied the rumours of her mother, former Congress president Sonia Gandhi retiring from politics. Priyanka Gandhi said that Sonia Gandhi will be fighting in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from her constituency, Raebareli, in Uttar Pradesh. Coal Scam: Madhu Koda gets 3-year imprisonment, 2 months interim bail granted A special CBI court in Delhi has sentenced former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda and his former coal secretary H C Gupta to 3-year imprisonment. Koda has also been slapped with a fine of Rs 25 lakh while a Gupta has been fined Rs.1 lakh; three others to appeal in the high court reports ANI.

Evening News Brief, December 16, 2017

A poster congratulating Rahul Gandhi for suspending Mani Shankar Aiyar for his remarks on Narendra Modi has gone viral on social media.

A poster with the written name of Hasib Ahmed, Congress leader from Allahabad has portrayed a batsman body with Rahul Gandhi&#39;s face on it and is seeing whacking a ball with Aiyar&#39;s face on it.

The poster reads &quot;well done Rahul bhaiya,&quot; with Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi&#39;s face incorporating in the poster.

The poster is being heavily shared on social media and receiving mixed reactions as some are actually congratulating Gandhi for his&nbsp;quick decision of straight suspension, some are also seeing it as a sign of how quickly the party abandons its member.

A Former Union Minister and a party member, Mani Shankar Aiyar, described Prime Minister Narendra Modi as &quot;neech,&quot; later he accepted his mistake and clarified saying that as Hindi is not his mother tongue he may have misspoken.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/amar-singh-calls-aiyar-habitual-offender-26197">Amar Singh calls Aiyar &#39;habitual offender&#39;</a>

The poster reads 'well done Rahul bhaiya,' with Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi's face incorporating in the poster

A poster congratulating Rahul Gandhi for suspending Mani Shankar Aiyar for his remarks on Narendra Modi has gone viral on social media. A poster with the written name of Hasib Ahmed, Congress leader from Allahabad has portrayed a batsman body with Rahul Gandhi's face on it and is seeing whacking a ball with Aiyar's face on it. The poster reads "well done Rahul bhaiya," with Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi's face incorporating in the poster. The poster is being heavily shared on social media and receiving mixed reactions as some are actually congratulating Gandhi for his quick decision of straight suspension, some are also seeing it as a sign of how quickly the party abandons its member. A Former Union Minister and a party member, Mani Shankar Aiyar, described Prime Minister Narendra Modi as "neech," later he accepted his mistake and clarified saying that as Hindi is not his mother tongue he may have misspoken. Also read: Amar Singh calls Aiyar 'habitual offender'

Poster congratulating Rahul Gandhi for suspending Mani Shankar Aiyar goes viral

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/priyanka-gandhi-diagnosed-with-dengue-admitted-to-sgrh-19521">Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, daughter of Congress President Sonia Gandhi</a> has been&nbsp;discharged from the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital today. She had been suffering&nbsp;from dengue and was admitted to the hospital on 23 August.

Her treatment was monitored by chest medicine consultant Arup Basu.

In a statement,&nbsp;DS Rana, Chairman (Board of Management) of SRGH said: &quot;Priyanka Vadra had fever initially, later she was confirmed as suffering from dengue. She was brought to the hospital on 23 August evening.&quot;

Delhi has currently been&nbsp;facing a spike in detected dengue cases. So far, there are at least&nbsp;657 cases of dengue reported so far &ndash; with 325 patients from Delhi and 332 from other states.&nbsp;

Areas under South Delhi Municipal Corporation have reported the highest number of 64 cases, followed by 42 cases in areas of New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC).&nbsp;

(WION)

&nbsp;

She had been admitted to hospital on August 23

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, daughter of Congress President Sonia Gandhi has been discharged from the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital today. She had been suffering from dengue and was admitted to the hospital on 23 August. Her treatment was monitored by chest medicine consultant Arup Basu. In a statement, DS Rana, Chairman (Board of Management) of SRGH said: "Priyanka Vadra had fever initially, later she was confirmed as suffering from dengue. She was brought to the hospital on 23 August evening." Delhi has currently been facing a spike in detected dengue cases. So far, there are at least 657 cases of dengue reported so far – with 325 patients from Delhi and 332 from other states. Areas under South Delhi Municipal Corporation have reported the highest number of 64 cases, followed by 42 cases in areas of New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC). (WION)

Priyanka Gandhi recovers from dengue, discharged from hospital

Priyanka Gandhi was diagnosed <a href="http://www.wionews.com/science-tech/in-fight-against-dengue-fever-researchers-turn-to-genetically-modified-mosquitoes-11346">with dengue</a> on Wednesday evening&nbsp;and admitted in&nbsp;Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi.

The 45-year-old daughter of Congress <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/indian-prime-minister-narendra-modi-sends-doctor-plane-to-help-sonia-gandhi-4026">president Sonia Gandhi</a>&nbsp;is being&nbsp;treated by chest medicine consultant Dr. Arup Basu, reports said.

Priyanka is reportedly improving, media reports added.&nbsp;

This year 657 dengue cases have been reported in India with almost 325 patients from India&#39;s national capital.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/delhi-first-death-due-to-dengue-this-season-12-year-old-succumbs-19276">A 12-year-old boy&nbsp;succumbed to dengue a few days</a> back which was&nbsp;the first reported fatality&nbsp;due to the vector-borne disease in Delhi.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi's daughter is being treated by chest medicine consultant Dr. Arup Basu

Priyanka Gandhi was diagnosed with dengue on Wednesday evening and admitted in Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi. The 45-year-old daughter of Congress president Sonia Gandhi is being treated by chest medicine consultant Dr. Arup Basu, reports said. Priyanka is reportedly improving, media reports added. This year 657 dengue cases have been reported in India with almost 325 patients from India's national capital. A 12-year-old boy succumbed to dengue a few days back which was the first reported fatality due to the vector-borne disease in Delhi.

Priyanka Gandhi diagnosed with dengue, admitted in hospital

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad speaks with WION&#39;s Kartikeya Sharma on a range of issues concerning the ongoing assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. He said that Priyanka Gandhi is actively managing the elections in UP from Delhi&nbsp;and was in charge of all political decisions. He also claimed that the Prime Minister&#39;s three-day campaign in Varanasi is a sign of weakness and not strength as Prime Ministers do not devote so much time to their constituencies for election campaigning.

Q: How is the election going for the Congress Party?

A: I don&rsquo;t think we would have fought a better election than this. We have alliances in many states but the way alliance has worked in Uttar Pradesh has been different. I&rsquo;m very satisfied.

Q: In 2007 and 2012, Rahul Gandhi fought elections alone. How did the Congress reach the conclusion that it should fight the election in an alliance?

A: Even this time we wanted to fight elections alone. That is why we organized lot of kisan yatras throughout the state. We had also decided to review the situation in October whether we would be able to fight a good election or not. Simultaneously, developments took place in SP which created uncertainty for them. Then we too at that point of time were uncertain. We realized that we shouldn&rsquo;t repeat the mistake of Lok Sabha elections. BJP got 31&nbsp;per cent of votes and managed to get 282 seats (in the Lok Sabha elections in 2014) because the opposition vote got fragmented.&nbsp;So, we didn&#39;t want such a situation this time. It could be any other party this time who could have come to power with lesser vote share because of fragmentation of the opposition vote.&nbsp;We decided to create an alliance so that the vote doesn&rsquo;t divide. We didn&rsquo;t want this election to become a matter of false prestige. We didn&rsquo;t want to take chance this time around. May be this was the reason for SP also.

Q: But alliance has problems. Gandhi bastion is witnessing friendly fights. Priyanka Gandhi couldn&rsquo;t go because of it?

A: Priyanka did not go (for campaigning) not because of the friendly fights. She didn&rsquo;t because she was in a different role. There are two areas of campaign. One is physical campaign and another is management. Priyanka was in the management of the campaign like an in charge of ATC. Someone senior was required to look into the issue management of the elections and we decided that this part should be played by Priyanka Gandhi. If she wouldn&rsquo;t have done this job, then it would have fallen on any other general secretary. Priyanka Gandhi did a fabulous job. No one else could have done it better than her.

Q: Are you telling me that Priyanka Gandhi is in charge of the political air traffic control of the Congress Party?

A: She was involved from the beginning when it came to Uttar Pradesh. The decision to contest particular seat or to give it up were decided by her. It took us a month to firm up the alliance. We used Priyanka fully in Uttar Pradesh.

Q: Many would say that senior leaders did the work and gave all the credit to Priyanka?

A: I don&rsquo;t share credit unnecessarily. I don&rsquo;t give undue credit to anyone. Priyanka Gandhi really did a fabulous job. I don&rsquo;t think I would have been able to do the job like this or devote so much time.

Q: Goal posts in elections changed midway when Prime Minister spoke about &quot;kabristan&quot; and &quot;shamshan&quot;. But Congress didn&rsquo;t approach the Election Commission. Have you changed the goal posts? Like Gujarat?

A: Our agenda remains the same. It is focused on agriculture, employment and health. It is the PM who moved away from the developmental agenda. It is very disappointing. In 1990s, rath yatra was started. I don&rsquo;t want to get into it so that we get diverted from the agenda once again. The issue is that BJP felt that it was not able to match the agenda of the alliance. Akhilesh has done good job and they changed horses midstream and that is why they will lose the elections. I don&rsquo;t think statements of the Prime Minister were appreciated by the majority community. BJP wanted us to make this into an issue and that is why we refrained from it. We don&rsquo;t want to mix religion with politics.

Q: There are changes even in Rahul Gandhi. Before 2014 elections one couldn&rsquo;t find Rahul Gandhi going to temples religiously and regularly. Now he does. Why?

A: We have no issues with people going to temples or church. We never made any issue of PM going to temples. We have no issue with people visiting religious spaces but we have issue with people talking about things like kabristan and shamshan.

Q: Who is your opponent? BSP or BJP?

A: Our fight is against parties who have no political principles. Both of them are fighting each other for 2nd and 3rd position.

Q: Aren&rsquo;t you concerned about BSP? BSP has given large number of tickets to the minority community?

A: It is not an issue for us. We aren&rsquo;t BJP. We need both majority and minority. We want the votes of all the castes be it backward or forward. We want them all.

Q: Is demonetisation an issue in UP? It seems that demonetisation didn&rsquo;t work as an issue in municipal polls in Maharashtra?

A: Demonetisation was an issue. Whether people voted on the issue on it or not is a different thing. People got affected. This fact cannot be denied. Demonetisation affected lot of business. I have interacted with people in UP and I felt that demonetisation is a living issue.

Q: Biggest leader of SP, Mulayum Singh Yadav didn&rsquo;t campaign for the alliance? He didn&rsquo;t endorse it politically?

A: He is supporting us and his silence speaks for it.

Q: After 1998, Sonia Gandhi has not campaigned in Uttar Pradesh. Why?

A: She didn&rsquo;t campaign in any of the states for that matter. This time Rahul Gandhi aggressively campaigned.

Q: OK, if Priyanka Gandhi was in charge of the so called political ATC, then what was Rahul Gandhi doing?

A: He did the campaign for us.

Q:&nbsp;You decided the distribution?

A: He is my boss. He is the Vice President. He is above me and Priyanka Gandhi. All happened under his supervision. Alliance and distribution of the work. Both.

Q: This is the last phase. Does it worry you that there is an upsurge of BJP in the rural areas?

A: Our only worry is that they continue to polarise the elections. They are doing the same work which they used to do in the opposition.

Q: Are you worried that no one gets majority in UP. Even PM spoke of it?

A: PM is devoting three days to his constituency. He did a programme without EC&rsquo;s&nbsp;permission in the district. He did the roadshow. Prime Ministers never give so much time to their constituencies for election campaigning. There are 40 ministers in this area. Doesn&rsquo;t it show that we are coming to power.

Q: But it could also mean that BJP wants to fight for every seat?

A: This is a sign of weakness and not strength.

(WION)&nbsp;

Senior Congress leader, Azad, said Congress allied with the Samajwadi Party so that votes don't get divided

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad speaks with WION's Kartikeya Sharma on a range of issues concerning the ongoing assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. He said that Priyanka Gandhi is actively managing the elections in UP from Delhi and was in charge of all political decisions. He also claimed that the Prime Minister's three-day campaign in Varanasi is a sign of weakness and not strength as Prime Ministers do not devote so much time to their constituencies for election campaigning. Q: How is the election going for the Congress Party? A: I don’t think we would have fought a better election than this. We have alliances in many states but the way alliance has worked in Uttar Pradesh has been different. I’m very satisfied. Q: In 2007 and 2012, Rahul Gandhi fought elections alone. How did the Congress reach the conclusion that it should fight the election in an alliance? A: Even this time we wanted to fight elections alone. That is why we organized lot of kisan yatras throughout the state. We had also decided to review the situation in October whether we would be able to fight a good election or not. Simultaneously, developments took place in SP which created uncertainty for them. Then we too at that point of time were uncertain. We realized that we shouldn’t repeat the mistake of Lok Sabha elections. BJP got 31 per cent of votes and managed to get 282 seats (in the Lok Sabha elections in 2014) because the opposition vote got fragmented. So, we didn't want such a situation this time. It could be any other party this time who could have come to power with lesser vote share because of fragmentation of the opposition vote. We decided to create an alliance so that the vote doesn’t divide. We didn’t want this election to become a matter of false prestige. We didn’t want to take chance this time around. May be this was the reason for SP also. Q: But alliance has problems. Gandhi bastion is witnessing friendly fights. Priyanka Gandhi couldn’t go because of it? A: Priyanka did not go (for campaigning) not because of the friendly fights. She didn’t because she was in a different role. There are two areas of campaign. One is physical campaign and another is management. Priyanka was in the management of the campaign like an in charge of ATC. Someone senior was required to look into the issue management of the elections and we decided that this part should be played by Priyanka Gandhi. If she wouldn’t have done this job, then it would have fallen on any other general secretary. Priyanka Gandhi did a fabulous job. No one else could have done it better than her. Q: Are you telling me that Priyanka Gandhi is in charge of the political air traffic control of the Congress Party? A: She was involved from the beginning when it came to Uttar Pradesh. The decision to contest particular seat or to give it up were decided by her. It took us a month to firm up the alliance. We used Priyanka fully in Uttar Pradesh. Q: Many would say that senior leaders did the work and gave all the credit to Priyanka? A: I don’t share credit unnecessarily. I don’t give undue credit to anyone. Priyanka Gandhi really did a fabulous job. I don’t think I would have been able to do the job like this or devote so much time. Q: Goal posts in elections changed midway when Prime Minister spoke about "kabristan" and "shamshan". But Congress didn’t approach the Election Commission. Have you changed the goal posts? Like Gujarat? A: Our agenda remains the same. It is focused on agriculture, employment and health. It is the PM who moved away from the developmental agenda. It is very disappointing. In 1990s, rath yatra was started. I don’t want to get into it so that we get diverted from the agenda once again. The issue is that BJP felt that it was not able to match the agenda of the alliance. Akhilesh has done good job and they changed horses midstream and that is why they will lose the elections. I don’t think statements of the Prime Minister were appreciated by the majority community. BJP wanted us to make this into an issue and that is why we refrained from it. We don’t want to mix religion with politics. Q: There are changes even in Rahul Gandhi. Before 2014 elections one couldn’t find Rahul Gandhi going to temples religiously and regularly. Now he does. Why? A: We have no issues with people going to temples or church. We never made any issue of PM going to temples. We have no issue with people visiting religious spaces but we have issue with people talking about things like kabristan and shamshan. Q: Who is your opponent? BSP or BJP? A: Our fight is against parties who have no political principles. Both of them are fighting each other for 2nd and 3rd position. Q: Aren’t you concerned about BSP? BSP has given large number of tickets to the minority community? A: It is not an issue for us. We aren’t BJP. We need both majority and minority. We want the votes of all the castes be it backward or forward. We want them all. Q: Is demonetisation an issue in UP? It seems that demonetisation didn’t work as an issue in municipal polls in Maharashtra? A: Demonetisation was an issue. Whether people voted on the issue on it or not is a different thing. People got affected. This fact cannot be denied. Demonetisation affected lot of business. I have interacted with people in UP and I felt that demonetisation is a living issue. Q: Biggest leader of SP, Mulayum Singh Yadav didn’t campaign for the alliance? He didn’t endorse it politically? A: He is supporting us and his silence speaks for it. Q: After 1998, Sonia Gandhi has not campaigned in Uttar Pradesh. Why? A: She didn’t campaign in any of the states for that matter. This time Rahul Gandhi aggressively campaigned. Q: OK, if Priyanka Gandhi was in charge of the so called political ATC, then what was Rahul Gandhi doing? A: He did the campaign for us. Q: You decided the distribution? A: He is my boss. He is the Vice President. He is above me and Priyanka Gandhi. All happened under his supervision. Alliance and distribution of the work. Both. Q: This is the last phase. Does it worry you that there is an upsurge of BJP in the rural areas? A: Our only worry is that they continue to polarise the elections. They are doing the same work which they used to do in the opposition. Q: Are you worried that no one gets majority in UP. Even PM spoke of it? A: PM is devoting three days to his constituency. He did a programme without EC’s permission in the district. He did the roadshow. Prime Ministers never give so much time to their constituencies for election campaigning. There are 40 ministers in this area. Doesn’t it show that we are coming to power. Q: But it could also mean that BJP wants to fight for every seat? A: This is a sign of weakness and not strength. (WION)

WION Exclusive: Priyanka Gandhi managing elections from Delhi, says Ghulam Nabi Azad

Congress&#39; Priyanka Gandhi will not be campaigning in Uttar Pradesh anymore, a senior party member told NDTV.

Ghulam Nabi Azad said she will spend her time overseeing the party&#39;s election campaign in India&#39;s most populous state.

Priyanka has largely remained absent from this year&#39;s campaigning in India&#39;s northern state of UP.

She briefly visited the Gandhis&#39; borough of Raebareli earlier following&nbsp;incessant demands made by party workers. Party workers were vexed about their pre-poll partners Samajwadi Party&#39;s decision to campaign in the Gandhi stronghold.

The party&#39;s decision to keep Priyanka away from the limelight might also be due to the party&#39;s apprehension of over-exposing her, like they did in 2012.

&ldquo;It (over-exposure in the previous elections) was an excess from our part. We don&rsquo;t want Priyanka Gandhi to do an aggressive campaign in the constituency. She is our senior leader,&rdquo; Kishori Lal, a close aide of the Gandhi family, had told WION.&nbsp;

Speaking to NDTV, Azad also downplayed suggestions that their party leader Rahul Gandhi was playing second fiddle to Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav.

&quot;No-one is second fiddle. Everywhere they (Rahul and Akhilesh) go, they go together,&quot; he said.

If Uttar Pradesh -- a state in North India -- was a country, it would be the largest elections conducted across the world this year. The state is home to 204.2 million people and is nearly twice the size of England.

The state has been in the throes of a long, heated election campaign.

Polling in the state started on February 11 and will be conducted on seven different dates until March 8. The election result will be announced on March 11.

(WION)

Senior leader Ghulab Nabi Azad said she would spend more time in managing the party's poll strategy in India's most populous state

Congress' Priyanka Gandhi will not be campaigning in Uttar Pradesh anymore, a senior party member told NDTV. Ghulam Nabi Azad said she will spend her time overseeing the party's election campaign in India's most populous state. Priyanka has largely remained absent from this year's campaigning in India's northern state of UP. She briefly visited the Gandhis' borough of Raebareli earlier following incessant demands made by party workers. Party workers were vexed about their pre-poll partners Samajwadi Party's decision to campaign in the Gandhi stronghold. The party's decision to keep Priyanka away from the limelight might also be due to the party's apprehension of over-exposing her, like they did in 2012. “It (over-exposure in the previous elections) was an excess from our part. We don’t want Priyanka Gandhi to do an aggressive campaign in the constituency. She is our senior leader,” Kishori Lal, a close aide of the Gandhi family, had told WION. Speaking to NDTV, Azad also downplayed suggestions that their party leader Rahul Gandhi was playing second fiddle to Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav. "No-one is second fiddle. Everywhere they (Rahul and Akhilesh) go, they go together," he said. If Uttar Pradesh -- a state in North India -- was a country, it would be the largest elections conducted across the world this year. The state is home to 204.2 million people and is nearly twice the size of England. The state has been in the throes of a long, heated election campaign. Polling in the state started on February 11 and will be conducted on seven different dates until March 8. The election result will be announced on March 11. (WION)

UP elections: Priyanka Gandhi will not campaign further, says Congress

Priyanka Gandhi finally broke her silence in her usual style on Friday in Rae Bareli. She directly took on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In her short speech all barbs were reserved for the Prime Minister. She said, &quot;Uttar Pradesh anyways has two sons in Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi, it doesn&rsquo;t need to adopt a third for development.&rdquo;&nbsp;

She further focused on the insider and outsider theme of the alliance by saying that Prime Minister is an outsider and said that Uttar Pradesh has enough talent for new leadership to emerge and doesn&rsquo;t need an outsider, referring to the Prime Minister.

She also attacked Prime Minister on the issue of demonetisation. She said that demonetisation has actually brought misery rather than improving the situation of the poor.&nbsp;

She linked demonetisation with the larger constituency of women as it created problems for them by wiping away their savings and making them all stand in long queues. &nbsp;Speaking at Maharajganj, Priyanka Gandhi said, &ldquo;PM always speaks to women in categories of sister, mother or daughter. Not as a person. It is not correct.&rdquo;

Earlier in the day, she chose to meet Ajay Pal Singh, Aditi Singh and other Congress candidates in privacy on the logistics of elections. Sources close to Priyanka Gandhi confirmed to WION that Priyanka is upset with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav for breaking his word on campaigning in Gandhi&rsquo;s home turf and especially on seats which are witnessing friendly fights.&nbsp;

The fact is that despite an assurance, Akhilesh campaigned in Sereni constituency for the SP candidate who is pitted against Congress. Now the word is that Akhilesh may also campaign in Unchahaar from where Congress party&rsquo;s candidate Ajay Pal is contesting.

Sources in the meeting held by Priyanka Gandhi confirmed that she is open to the proposal of campaigning in last three days of the election.&nbsp;

The local Congress unit is also keeping an eye on Akhilesh Yadav&rsquo;s tentative programme on February 20 in Unchahar segment. In case the Chief Minister confirms the programme, it will create political elbow room for the Congress to go out for an all out aggressive campaign. As of now Priyanka doesn&rsquo;t want to rock the boat. When asked in the close interaction at Bhu mein mau rest house about the recent development she said &ldquo;Let&rsquo;s wait and watch&rdquo;.

(WION)

She is reportedly unhappy with Akhilesh's campaigning in Gandhi's home turf of Rae Bareli

Priyanka Gandhi finally broke her silence in her usual style on Friday in Rae Bareli. She directly took on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In her short speech all barbs were reserved for the Prime Minister. She said, "Uttar Pradesh anyways has two sons in Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi, it doesn’t need to adopt a third for development.” She further focused on the insider and outsider theme of the alliance by saying that Prime Minister is an outsider and said that Uttar Pradesh has enough talent for new leadership to emerge and doesn’t need an outsider, referring to the Prime Minister. She also attacked Prime Minister on the issue of demonetisation. She said that demonetisation has actually brought misery rather than improving the situation of the poor. She linked demonetisation with the larger constituency of women as it created problems for them by wiping away their savings and making them all stand in long queues. Speaking at Maharajganj, Priyanka Gandhi said, “PM always speaks to women in categories of sister, mother or daughter. Not as a person. It is not correct.” Earlier in the day, she chose to meet Ajay Pal Singh, Aditi Singh and other Congress candidates in privacy on the logistics of elections. Sources close to Priyanka Gandhi confirmed to WION that Priyanka is upset with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav for breaking his word on campaigning in Gandhi’s home turf and especially on seats which are witnessing friendly fights. The fact is that despite an assurance, Akhilesh campaigned in Sereni constituency for the SP candidate who is pitted against Congress. Now the word is that Akhilesh may also campaign in Unchahaar from where Congress party’s candidate Ajay Pal is contesting. Sources in the meeting held by Priyanka Gandhi confirmed that she is open to the proposal of campaigning in last three days of the election. The local Congress unit is also keeping an eye on Akhilesh Yadav’s tentative programme on February 20 in Unchahar segment. In case the Chief Minister confirms the programme, it will create political elbow room for the Congress to go out for an all out aggressive campaign. As of now Priyanka doesn’t want to rock the boat. When asked in the close interaction at Bhu mein mau rest house about the recent development she said “Let’s wait and watch”. (WION)

UP Assembly polls: Priyanka Gandhi braces for next move by Akhilesh, all set to campaign

Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi made their first joint appearance in Congress bastion Rae Bareli in the ongoing Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh elections.

The Congress vice-president attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not fulfilling the promises made to the people of the state.&nbsp;

At a rally in Fatehpur district, Rahul said the rose tainted picture painted by PM Modi in 2014 of bringing development to the state was a stark contrast to the scenario two-and-a-half years later. He used the example of blockbuster film &quot;Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge&quot; and dacoit Gabbar Singh to draw a comparison between the promises and the current situation in the state.

&quot;In 2014, Modiji had said that good days will come. He showed a Dilwale Dulhania picture, after two-and-a-half years Gabbar Singh has come to the state,&quot; Rahul Gandhi said. 
&nbsp; 
He alleged that PM Modi would use the money of the people deposited in banks to waive off loans of 50 families.&nbsp;

He also accused the prime minister of centralised rule, leaving his ministers like Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley without any work.

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Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi made their first joint appearance in Congress bastion Rae Bareli in the ongoing Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh elections (WION)
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&quot;Whatever Modiji does is on his own. He took away LK Advani&#39;s work. Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley have no work,&quot; the Congress leader alleged.

Later, at a rally in Rae Bareli, Rahul Gandhi accused PM Modi of snatching food park project from the constituency&nbsp;&quot;to take revenge&quot;. He said a rail factory had been put on hold in Rae Bareli, the&nbsp;Lok Sabha constituency of his mother, Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

Rahul also criticised the prime minister for seeking votes in lieu of the loan waiver dole for farmers. 
 
&quot;When the UPA government was at the Centre, we were not in power in UP, but we waived off Rs 70,000 crore loans of farmers. Why can&#39;t Modi do it?,&quot; he said&nbsp;

Modiji has not fulfilled the promises made to the people of Varanasi -- of making a Bhojpuri film city and of cleaning up the Ganga river, he said.

&quot;Modiji was in Varanasi in 2014 where he coined a new slogan -- &#39;Ganga Maiyya&#39;, his mother -- and made a long list of promises, but nothing has happened there yet,&quot; he said while detailing how Modi during the 2014 polls had promised cleanliness in the temple town, clean Ghats, clean river, potable water to every household, free internet and much more.

He said that PM Modi thought of farmers only when elections were imminent. 
 
The Congress vice-president also slammed PM Modi over demonetisation and said it had caused significant damage to small businesses, shopkeepers and farmers.

Priyanka slams Modi over &quot;adopted son&quot;&nbsp;remark

Rahul&#39;s sister, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi slammed PM Modi over his &quot;adopted son of Uttar Pradesh&quot; remark made at a rally yesterday (February 16). She said the state did not need to adopt any one for its development.&nbsp;She said every youth of Uttar Pradesh could become a politician and develop the state.

&quot;Modi said UP has adopted him as a son. Does UP need to adopt anyone from outside for its development. UP doesn&#39;t need an &#39;adopted son&#39; to do good for the state. Rahul Gandhi (Congress Vice-President) and (Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister) Akhilesh ji (Yadav) are two sons of UP,&quot; Priyanka said at the constituency Maharaniganj in Rae Bareli. 
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PM ne kaha mujhe UP ne godh liya aur mein UP ka vikas karoonga. Kya UP ko vikas ke liye kisi ko godh lene ki zarurat hai?: Priyanka G Vadra <a href="https://t.co/e7MFAYZY9T">pic.twitter.com/e7MFAYZY9T</a>
&mdash; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/832553314315182081">February 17, 2017</a></blockquote>
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She alleged Modi had done nothing for his constituency Varanasi and accused him of making hollow promises.

Clamour for Priyanka Gandhi to campaign in Raebareli and in Amethi increased after incumbent Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav campaigned for Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate Devendra Pratap Singh against the Congress candidate Ashok Singh in Sereni on Wednesday.&nbsp;

Priyanka campaigned for the Congress in the ongoing Assembly elections after weeks of postponements.

The Congress leader was reportedly refraining from campaigning in UP since the seat-sharing formula between the Congress and the SP in these constituencies remained a grey area.

Since both the alliance partners have now withdrawn five candidates each from their side, Priyanka is said to have agreed to come and campaign.

She was reportedly a key negotiator with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav when the alliance talks were on the brink of collapse.&nbsp;

Central minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani had attacked Priyanka Gandhi yeasterday saying the Congress leader was not campaigning in Amethi as she could not face people&#39;s questions.

Rae Bareli goes to polls on February 23 and Amethi on February 27. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

 
&nbsp;

Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi made their first joint appearance in Congress bastion Rae Bareli in the ongoing Assembly polls

Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi made their first joint appearance in Congress bastion Rae Bareli in the ongoing Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh elections. The Congress vice-president attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not fulfilling the promises made to the people of the state. At a rally in Fatehpur district, Rahul said the rose tainted picture painted by PM Modi in 2014 of bringing development to the state was a stark contrast to the scenario two-and-a-half years later. He used the example of blockbuster film "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge" and dacoit Gabbar Singh to draw a comparison between the promises and the current situation in the state. "In 2014, Modiji had said that good days will come. He showed a Dilwale Dulhania picture, after two-and-a-half years Gabbar Singh has come to the state," Rahul Gandhi said. He alleged that PM Modi would use the money of the people deposited in banks to waive off loans of 50 families. He also accused the prime minister of centralised rule, leaving his ministers like Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley without any work. Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi made their first joint appearance in Congress bastion Rae Bareli in the ongoing Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh elections (WION) × "Whatever Modiji does is on his own. He took away LK Advani's work. Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley have no work," the Congress leader alleged. Later, at a rally in Rae Bareli, Rahul Gandhi accused PM Modi of snatching food park project from the constituency "to take revenge". He said a rail factory had been put on hold in Rae Bareli, the Lok Sabha constituency of his mother, Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Rahul also criticised the prime minister for seeking votes in lieu of the loan waiver dole for farmers. "When the UPA government was at the Centre, we were not in power in UP, but we waived off Rs 70,000 crore loans of farmers. Why can't Modi do it?," he said Modiji has not fulfilled the promises made to the people of Varanasi -- of making a Bhojpuri film city and of cleaning up the Ganga river, he said. "Modiji was in Varanasi in 2014 where he coined a new slogan -- 'Ganga Maiyya', his mother -- and made a long list of promises, but nothing has happened there yet," he said while detailing how Modi during the 2014 polls had promised cleanliness in the temple town, clean Ghats, clean river, potable water to every household, free internet and much more. He said that PM Modi thought of farmers only when elections were imminent. The Congress vice-president also slammed PM Modi over demonetisation and said it had caused significant damage to small businesses, shopkeepers and farmers. Priyanka slams Modi over "adopted son" remark Rahul's sister, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi slammed PM Modi over his "adopted son of Uttar Pradesh" remark made at a rally yesterday (February 16). She said the state did not need to adopt any one for its development. She said every youth of Uttar Pradesh could become a politician and develop the state. "Modi said UP has adopted him as a son. Does UP need to adopt anyone from outside for its development. UP doesn't need an 'adopted son' to do good for the state. Rahul Gandhi (Congress Vice-President) and (Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister) Akhilesh ji (Yadav) are two sons of UP," Priyanka said at the constituency Maharaniganj in Rae Bareli. PM ne kaha mujhe UP ne godh liya aur mein UP ka vikas karoonga. Kya UP ko vikas ke liye kisi ko godh lene ki zarurat hai?: Priyanka G Vadra pic.twitter.com/e7MFAYZY9T — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) February 17, 2017 × She alleged Modi had done nothing for his constituency Varanasi and accused him of making hollow promises. Clamour for Priyanka Gandhi to campaign in Raebareli and in Amethi increased after incumbent Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav campaigned for Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate Devendra Pratap Singh against the Congress candidate Ashok Singh in Sereni on Wednesday. Priyanka campaigned for the Congress in the ongoing Assembly elections after weeks of postponements. The Congress leader was reportedly refraining from campaigning in UP since the seat-sharing formula between the Congress and the SP in these constituencies remained a grey area. Since both the alliance partners have now withdrawn five candidates each from their side, Priyanka is said to have agreed to come and campaign. She was reportedly a key negotiator with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav when the alliance talks were on the brink of collapse. Central minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani had attacked Priyanka Gandhi yeasterday saying the Congress leader was not campaigning in Amethi as she could not face people's questions. Rae Bareli goes to polls on February 23 and Amethi on February 27. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Rahul invokes 'Dilwale Dulhania', dacoit Gabbar Singh to hit PM Modi

Clamour for Priyanka Gandhi to campaign in Raebareli and in Amethi has increased as incumbent Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav seems to have broken mutual understanding between the Gandhi&rsquo;s and Yadav&rsquo;s in the family pocket borough. Akhilesh Yadav campaigned for Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate Devendra Pratap Singh against the Congress candidate Ashok Singh in Sereni on Wednesday.

Sources in the Raebareli Congress&nbsp;say that it was because of a friendly fight in four&nbsp;constituencies&nbsp;that the contest was kept centred around workers only. But now with Akhilesh&rsquo;s visit, the game has changed. A close aide of the Gandhi family, and also a Congress Secretary, Kishori Lal, admitted there is tremendous pressure from the candidates to organise rallies for Priyanka Gandhi. He also said that last time around they over-exposed her, which they will be careful not to do&nbsp;in the current elections. &ldquo;It was an excess from our part. We don&rsquo;t want Priyanka Gandhi to do an aggressive campaign in the constituency. She is our senior leader,&rdquo; said Kishori Lal. But he remains hopeful that Priyanka would come to the constituency. &nbsp;

Congress sources confirmed to WION that a fresh proposal would be sent to Priyanka Gandhi by Wednesday night or Thursday morning to spare one&nbsp;or two&nbsp;days in Raebareli where campaiging&nbsp;ends on February 21. It would be proposed to Priyanka that she take&nbsp;five meetings consisting of booth committee members ranging between 3000-4000 people so that the message goes out that Congress has not given up seats like Sereni and Unchahar in Raebareli. &nbsp;

Congress is witnessing friendly fight with SP on two seats each in Raebareli and Amethi. In Unchhar, Congress candidate Ajay Pal Singh is pitched against SP candidate Mohit Pandey who wants Mulayum Singh Yadav to campaign in the constituency. In Amethi Amita Singh is fighting SP&rsquo;s Gayatri Prajapati and Gauriganj is witnessing a contest between Mohd Naim and Rakesh Singh. &ldquo;It is a mismanagement in part of SP and not us. They didn&rsquo;t keep the promise,&rdquo; says Congress Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh.

As per the schedule prepared by the local Congress unit, the Congress member of Parliament Raj Babbar and Pramod Tiwari will campaign in Raebareli on February 16. The Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi&rsquo;s two rallies are scheduled on the&nbsp;17th, four&nbsp;meetings of Raj Babbar and Pramod Tiwari again are fixed on the&nbsp;18th,&nbsp;and five&nbsp;meetings have been fixed for the Leader of Opposition Gulam Nabi Azad on the&nbsp;19th.

Sources say that February 20&nbsp;and 21&nbsp;have been reserved for Congress President Sonia Gandhi, but pointed out that the whole campaign schedule can change&nbsp;if Priyanka confirms the programme. Congress sources say that if the green signal comes then it would be scheduled after Rahul Gandhi&rsquo;s visit, which is on February 17. It was also confirmed to WION by the local unit of Raebareli&nbsp;that till now it has also not received confirmation from the Congress President&rsquo;s office. The campaign in Raebareli would end at 5 pm on the 21st.

Some candidates were candid about the way the alliance has worked out in the family bastion. &ldquo;May be these discussions were held earlier and decisions taken later. But why these candidates have been put up, leadership understands it better,&rdquo; said Amita Singh former MLA contesting against Gayatri Prajapati.

So for now, all eyes are on Priyanka Gandhi.

(WION)

Clamour for Priyanka Gandhi to campaign in Raebareli has increased after incumbent CM Akhilesh Yadav campaigned for his party's candidate

Clamour for Priyanka Gandhi to campaign in Raebareli and in Amethi has increased as incumbent Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav seems to have broken mutual understanding between the Gandhi’s and Yadav’s in the family pocket borough. Akhilesh Yadav campaigned for Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate Devendra Pratap Singh against the Congress candidate Ashok Singh in Sereni on Wednesday. Sources in the Raebareli Congress say that it was because of a friendly fight in four constituencies that the contest was kept centred around workers only. But now with Akhilesh’s visit, the game has changed. A close aide of the Gandhi family, and also a Congress Secretary, Kishori Lal, admitted there is tremendous pressure from the candidates to organise rallies for Priyanka Gandhi. He also said that last time around they over-exposed her, which they will be careful not to do in the current elections. “It was an excess from our part. We don’t want Priyanka Gandhi to do an aggressive campaign in the constituency. She is our senior leader,” said Kishori Lal. But he remains hopeful that Priyanka would come to the constituency. Congress sources confirmed to WION that a fresh proposal would be sent to Priyanka Gandhi by Wednesday night or Thursday morning to spare one or two days in Raebareli where campaiging ends on February 21. It would be proposed to Priyanka that she take five meetings consisting of booth committee members ranging between 3000-4000 people so that the message goes out that Congress has not given up seats like Sereni and Unchahar in Raebareli. Congress is witnessing friendly fight with SP on two seats each in Raebareli and Amethi. In Unchhar, Congress candidate Ajay Pal Singh is pitched against SP candidate Mohit Pandey who wants Mulayum Singh Yadav to campaign in the constituency. In Amethi Amita Singh is fighting SP’s Gayatri Prajapati and Gauriganj is witnessing a contest between Mohd Naim and Rakesh Singh. “It is a mismanagement in part of SP and not us. They didn’t keep the promise,” says Congress Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh. As per the schedule prepared by the local Congress unit, the Congress member of Parliament Raj Babbar and Pramod Tiwari will campaign in Raebareli on February 16. The Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi’s two rallies are scheduled on the 17th, four meetings of Raj Babbar and Pramod Tiwari again are fixed on the 18th, and five meetings have been fixed for the Leader of Opposition Gulam Nabi Azad on the 19th. Sources say that February 20 and 21 have been reserved for Congress President Sonia Gandhi, but pointed out that the whole campaign schedule can change if Priyanka confirms the programme. Congress sources say that if the green signal comes then it would be scheduled after Rahul Gandhi’s visit, which is on February 17. It was also confirmed to WION by the local unit of Raebareli that till now it has also not received confirmation from the Congress President’s office. The campaign in Raebareli would end at 5 pm on the 21st. Some candidates were candid about the way the alliance has worked out in the family bastion. “May be these discussions were held earlier and decisions taken later. But why these candidates have been put up, leadership understands it better,” said Amita Singh former MLA contesting against Gayatri Prajapati. So for now, all eyes are on Priyanka Gandhi. (WION)

UP Elections: Waiting for Priyanka

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