If Priyanka were to contest from Varanasi

Priyanka Gandhi could garner the same support among masses as her mother did in the 2004 elections

Imagine for a minute, what all can happen if Priyanka Gandhi were to jump into the poll fray in Varanasi where BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi and AAP’s chief Arvind Kejriwal are contesting.
 
The first thing that comes to mind is the colour draining from the faces of her competitors. Both men would lose their appetite, zeal and might appear as children stopped from having their favourite ice-cream. Surely, it is enough to send chills down anybody’s spine.
 
The yet to-be-disclosed brahmastra (the most potent weapon), if at all, is sufficient to puncture the so-called victory chariot of the principal opposition party. On the other hand, it will be enough to boost the morale of the sulking Congress cadre and leadership, which has already conceded defeat with many seniors deciding not to contest.

 

It is no more a hidden secret among Congressmen that Priyanka’s brother Rahul may have all the good intentions but he lacks the charisma of their father Rajiv, mother Sonia and grandmother Indira. He is respected but Priyanka is revered within the party.
 
It is expected that Priyanka would gain the same support among masses as her mother got during the 2004 general elections. History is waiting to be repeated. Imagine the impact she would make in Uttar Pradesh, which has the maximum Lok Sabha seats at 80, and has been a political battleground for the Gandhis. And who knows, if the move successfully catapults the Congress party to a formidable position post elections. And give her brother some saving grace.

 
I am sure many of you would be wondering that the Congress party should have thought of it earlier and now they are terribly late. Oh really?
 
In politics you are neither late nor early. If that is the yardstick, the argument doesn’t hold merit because by the same logic BJP should have won the 2004 elections with its boisterous India Shining campaign.
 
The Congress party is believed to be getting to guns at the last minute and also when BJP had emptied its arsenal.
 
Coming back to Varanasi, neither Modi nor Kejriwal have filed their nominations yet. Which means Priyanka, too, has some time. If at all, one of the Congress strategies would be to let the gentlemen confirm their participation for the Varanasi seat with their nominations and then announce Priyanka’s candidature. By then elections would have been completed only in a handful of seats.

 
The buzz has already started in the political corridors about her decision to contest. Leaders are sending frantic messages to one another to confirm the deadly move. Like they say there is no smoke without fire, it all started with Janardan Dwivedi’s ingenious idea. He cleverly supplanted the media with this theory to check the rough waters. Rumour has it Congress party workers in Varanasi have even coined the slogans. If it is “Har Har Modi” for Narendra Modi, then it is “Desh ki beti Priyanka, Har Har Gange”.
 
The final decision rests with the Gandhi family and their close coterie. If it happens then the Congress would checkmate the BJP with this single masterstroke.

 
The Congress has nothing to lose, but if Modi loses to Priyanka then it will be an emphatic defeat for the BJP and its progenitor the RSS. Perhaps like LK Advani, Modi’s ambition of becoming prime minister won’t fructify either. 

Twitter: @sahilmakkar