New Delhi, March 21
It is finally
official. The Congress today ended months of speculation when it formally
announced Rahul Gandhi’s debut in politics.
Former Prime Minister Rajiv
Gandhi’s son is all set to take the electoral plunge in the forthcoming Lok
Sabha election. He is the party’s candidate from Amethi, the constituency
represented by his father and now by his mother, Sonia Gandhi.
The Congress
president will instead contest from the neighbouring Rae Bareli, the seat once
held by her mother-in-law and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Party
insiders said the decision to field Rahul Gandhi from Amethi was a deliberate
one in view of Rajiv Gandhi’s close association with this constituency and the
special bond that the people here shared with him. Rahul Gandhi had proved to be
quite a draw when he visited Amethi recently because of his striking resemblance
to his father.
“By fielding Rahul from here, the party will refresh the
memories of Rajiv Gandhi in the minds of people and also showcase his son as the
rightful heir’’, observed a senior Congress leader.
While the suspense over
Rahul Gandhi’s entry into politics eventually ended today, the party remained as
enigmatic as ever about the possibility of his sister, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra,
doing the same. “It will be announced at an appropriate time,” AICC general
secretary Ambika Soni maintained. Though there is speculation that she could be
fielded from a constituency in South India, it is almost certain that Priyanka
will be among the Congress star campaigners.
The Congress is hoping that Rahul
Gandhi’s candidature from Amethi will help revive its fortunes in Uttar Pradesh.
The move is expected to galvanise the party cadres in Uttar Pradesh, especially
since the organisation in the state is in shambles and the workers demoralised
after the BSP spurned the Congress overtures for an alliance.
The party also
expects that an overwhelming public response to Priyanka and Rahul in Uttar
Pradesh will send a strong signal to potential allies that the Congress is not a
spent force. Rahul Gandhi’s entry is also timed with the ongoing speculation
over a Congress-Samajwadi Party tie-up.
The Samajwadi Party has been sending
out contradictory signals and it is hoped that today’s development will push its
leaders to rethink its strategy.
Although Ms Sonia Gandhi had always stated
that it was for Rahul and Priyanka to decide whether they wished to enter
politics or not, there had been considerable talk in Congress circles in recent
times that the Gandhi siblings would be actively involved in the forthcoming Lok
Sabha elections.
However, it was widely believed that Priyanka Gandhi would be
the first one to take the plunge. She is seen as a “natural politician”, in the
same mould as her grandmother. She oversees her mother’s campaigns, has been
looking after Amethi constituency and was the party’s star campaigner when she
canvassed for her mother in the last election.
Her brother, on the other hand,
has been keeping a low-profile and is stated to be more reserved and
intense.
Though seen to be aloof from the hurly-burly of the political world,
Rahul Gandhi, party insiders said, has been taking a keen interest in politics
for over a year now. He has set up a high-tech “war-room” at home where
constituency profiles and election results are tabulated and analysed.
The
timing of today’s announcement is significant for another reason.
It comes at
a time when the BJP has launched a vitriolic campaign on the issue of Sonia’s
foreign origin while seeking to turn the coming election into a “Atal vs. Sonia”
battle.
The Congress is hoping to divert attention from this campaign with
Rahul Gandhi’s entry into the electoral fray at this juncture.
