Priyanka to defend Gandhi fortress: Sonia's daughter takes charge of family boroughs as reports predict 'bleak' future for Congress
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Under new management: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has taken over the Congress party's affairs in Amethi
The sister act has kicked in rather early on the road to 2014. Priyanka Vadra has slowly but surely taken on a larger political role in a bid to revive the Congress party's fortunes in Uttar Pradesh.
The defence of family bastions Rae Bareli and Amethi is at the focus of the effort. Priyanka has been looking after Rae Bareli, the constituency of her mother and Congress president Sonia Gandhi, for years. She has now taken over Congress affairs in Amethi, the parliamentary constituency of her brother and party vice-president Rahul Gandhi.
The new arrangement also gives Priyanka the option of contesting from Rae Bareli while Sonia shifts to Sultanpur, something Congress sources say is a possibility if not a likelihood.
Sources say party strategists have decided to completely hand over the two constituencies to Priyanka so that her mother and brother can lead the charge aggressively elsewhere.
Top Congress sources told Mail Today that Sonia and Rahul were alarmed by internal reports warning that the party could lose at least 17 of the 22 Lok Sabha seats it now holds from Uttar Pradesh in the forthcoming elections.
Rae Bareli and Amethi are among the five confirmed seats for the party.
Upset Rahul
"This has upset Rahul, who had thought that while his 22 MPs in the state would win again, he would select winnable candidates in at least 12 other constituencies. While he was already receiving information that the influence of Modi was growing in many states, including Uttar Pradesh, the negative reports about his MPs from UP has forced him to revisit his strategy," a senior Congress leader said on condition of anonymity.
"Priyanka is already looking after Rae Bareli, and now she has been brought to manage Amethi also. So, Sonia and Rahul would be free to campaign aggressively against Modi in other constituencies without bothering about their own seats," the leader added.
This was further substantiated by Congressmen in Amethi who appeared for an interview conducted by Rahul and Priyanka on Wednesday for the post of Congress block presidents.
Rethink required: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi was reportedly alarmed by heavy Congress losses predicted in Uttar Pradesh
"We have come to know that Sanjay Singh, Congress MP from neighbouring Sultanpur, and Akhilesh Singh, a Peace Party MLA from Rae Bareli and former Congress leader, are in touch with Modi. They may join the BJP soon and rattle the local units of the Congress," said Narayan Mishra, a PCC member.
"On the other hand, the influence of Modi is growing all over the state. Congress leaders are not unaware of this. Obviously they need to make a fresh strategy to check Modi," he added.
Inayatulla Rayani, former head of party's minority cell in Amethi, said: "We agree or disagree but Modi is a major threat. He can damage the Congress to some extent all over the country and to a large extent in Uttar Pradesh."
Protests greet Rahul and Priyanka in Amethi
By Piyush Srivastava in Amethi
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and her sister Priyanka Vadra's second day in Amethi was marred by a series of protests, mainly by locals hoping to highlight their problems, on Wednesday.
Various groups of protesters shouting slogans against the Congress kept coming at the gate of Mushiganj guest house where both Rahul and Priyanka were busy interviewing the remaining over three dozen candidates for the post of party's block presidents.
Protests took place outside the guesthouse where Rahul and Priyanka were conducting interviews
Surprisingly, even Sunita Kori, a Dalit in whose mud-house Rahul had spent a night in 2008 and whom he had virtually made the mascot of the Congress' anti-Mayawati campaign, was also there with demonstrators.
"That is past. Our problem is that Rahul goes to villages to know our povertyrelated problems but he doesn't do anything on the ground. We want to meet him and register our protest," she said.
Another team of protesters led by one Rita Singh demanded uninterrupted power supply in the constituency.
"While the Akhilesh Yadav government is providing 22 to 24 hours of power supply to Amethi town, there are many villages which have not seen electricity for the past <None>four months," she claimed.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-2376940/Priyanka-Gandhi-Vadra-defend-Gandhi-fortress-Sonias-daughter-takes-charge-family-boroughs-reports-predict-bleak-future-Congress.html#ixzz2jGOjaFgO
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