Priyanka's Entry Rattles The BJP And The SP-BSP Alliance

Priyanka Gandhi's entry rattles the BJP and the SP-BSP alliance, and makes Uttar Pradesh results unpredictable

- Ajay Uprety

Beti nahi yeh aandhi hai, yeh Priyanka Gandhi hai (This is not just a daughter, but a storm. This is Priyanka Gandhi)." It is one of the more popular slogans which has been reverberating in Amethi and Rae Bareli since Priyanka started campaigning for her mother Sonia in the 1999 Lok Sabha elections from Amethi. Five years later, Sonia moved to Rae Bareli, leaving Amethi to Rahul. Priyanka has been the key campaigner for the Congress in both constituencies, her charisma and connect with the voters unmistakeable.

Priyanka gave her first public speech in 1988. Her next high-profile public appearance came in 1995, when she accompanied Sonia to a public meeting in Amethi. After Sonia broke down on stage complaining that the probe into her husband Rajiv's assassination was progressing very slowly, Priyanka stepped in to console her mother.

“Before every election, there is a huge clamour for Priyanka,” said Youth Congress leader and state Congress spokesperson Rahul Mishra, who had worked with her in several campaigns. “Congress workers wanted Priyanka in a more active role, rather than keeping her just as a campaigner.” Priyanka's formal induction into the Congress leadership as the general secretary in charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh seems to be the answer to this longstanding demand. She will now have under her watch 35 Parliament seats spread across 21 districts.