Eviction notice may expedite Priyanka Gandhi's shift to Lucknow

The eviction notice to Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to vacate the Lodhi Estate bungalow in Delhi may 'expedite' her shift to the state capital of Lucknow to oversee the affairs of the party in Uttar Pradesh.

According to the sources in the UP Congress party, Priyanka is likely to shift to the bungalow of late Sheila Kaul, who was the maternal aunt of former prime minister Indira Gandhi, at Gokhale Marg next month.

Sources said that Priyanka, who was also the in-charge of the UP Congress, had plans to shift there early this year but the coronavirus outbreak delayed the plans.

The Congress leader had stayed at the bungalow earlier for a few days. The bungalow, which was in a dilapidated state, had been renovated recently.

The bungalow has a rich history. The huge banyan tree at the gate of the bungalow had been planted by Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi in 1936.

''Now that Priyankaji will be vacating her Lodhi Estate bungalow this month, we may see her shifting to Lucknow and make it her permanent base as early as next month,'' said a senior UP Congress leader while speaking to DH on Thursday.

For the state Congress leaders, the eviction notice, in fact, has come as a ''blessing in disguise''. ''We had been requesting Priyankaji to spend more time in the state....we will not have to travel to Delhi frequently to meet her and discuss issues related to the state every time if she stays here,'' the Congress leader said.

Priyanka has been targeting the UP government through her social media accounts on a regular basis since last year's anti-CAA agitation in the state. She also took on the rival opposition parties, Samajwadi Party (SP) and BSP, and accused their chiefs of being ''undeclared spokesmen'' of the BJP.