'Only Priyanka can revive Congress' position in UP'

Congressmen urge Sonia to ‘allow’ Priyanka to be active in politics

The clamour for bringing in star campaigner Priyanka Gandhi into active politics has once again gained momentum following the Congress party’s worst ever performance in Uttar Pradesh in the just concluded Lok Sabha elections.

Politics in Uttar Pradesh was like ‘agnipath’ (a road of fire) and only Priyanka Gandhi could steer the party on it, said Congress workers.

Posters urging Congress chief Sonia Gandhi to ‘allow’ her daughter Priyanka to take a plunge into active politics have appeared in UP’s Allahabad town, which, once, was the home of the Nehru-Gandhi family.

“Mother, please order Priyanka to increase the political stature of Congress,” the posters said apparently referring to Sonia Gandhi. 

“The morale of the Congress workers has been badly hit by the dismal show of the party in the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls....there is an urgent need to boost their morale,” said Haseeb Ahmed, a local Congress leader in Allahabad.

Also, before the announcement of the Lok Sabha polls schedule, posters demanding that Priyanka should be made the party candidate from the Phulpur Lok Sabha seat had appeared in Allahabad. 

The party leaders had then warned that action would be taken against those putting up such posters. The Congress had fielded former Indian cricketer Mohammed Kaif from Phulpur who could secure only 58,000 votes.

Priyanka had extensively campaigned in Raebareli and Amethi, the Lok Sabha constituencies of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi respectively. Many local Congress leaders feel that it was Priyanka’s campaigning that helped Rahul scrape through Amethi by a much smaller margin.