The chosen one?

New Delhi: Frustrated over Rahul Gandhi’s inability to catch the imagination of the nation, a group of Congress leaders are gearing up to explore the possibility of pushing Priyanka into the limelight instead of hooking the party's fate to Rahul's whims. Whispers making rounds in the capital today are pointers to the fall-out of the disenchantment of a section of the Congress leaders who are vary of the rumoured changes at the top soon.

The Congress high command, aka Sonia Gandhi, is seriously contemplating handing over the baton to her son. She expects every leader in the party to fall in line as and when she does it. The Congress high command tested the waters the other day with subtle leaks to the media which grabbed the opportunity to play up the story of Rahul take-over and the subsequent Congress make-over.

The proposal had become inevitable as the UP elections are slated for 2017 and the Congress is desperate that it arrests the decline of the party in the face of a buoyed BJP and the uncertainty of the local equations and alliances. With neither Samajwadi Party nor the BSP showing any interest in joining hands, the Congress is forced to play a second fiddle here as happened in Bihar and West Bengal.

This has led to a feeling of despondent and also a fear that its vote bank, minorities, would completely shift to the powerful regional parties, its allies now and then. Prashant Kishor, who designed Nitish Kumar's electoral campaign successfully, is drafted by Rahul Gandhi to whip up a winning script in UP. Kishor was also a part of Narendra Modi's campaign earlier.

When Rahul drafted Kishor, he could sense the frustration of the Congressmen in no time and has been advising the party that Rahul Gandhi alone could not be a safe bet, however much Sonia Gandhi wished so. He had reportedly suggested to the high command that Priyanka Wadra assuming her full name of Priyanka Gandhi Wadra, should step in to save the day for the grand old party.

Several other local leaders too sought Priyanka's entry at this stage. The problem for the party at present is that it does not have any face to project as a CM candidate in case it wants to go it alone. An acceptable face like that of Priyanka would bode well for the party in every respect and scenario, a section of the Congressmen feel.

Priyanka has not only the glamour quotient but her uncanny resemblance to her grandmother, the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, could be a major swing factor for the Congress on the decline in UP, this section of Congressmen opine. Not only the looks, but the gait of Priyanka, her style of greeting the people and the way she rushes to shake hands with the crowds brushing aside security concerns are mesmerizing, Congressmen in UP feel.

The Congress leadership knows pretty well that any alliance with Rahul Gandhi in the forefront only sends half a message to the voters - that the latter could be their Prime Minister one day. But, with Priyanka in the forefront, the alliance dynamics too could change as she could always be projected as the party's Chief Ministerial candidate.

All said and done, the Congress is desperate to arrest the downswing of its fortunes and also in propping up Rahul Gandhi as a national leader of worth. But, Rahul's distinct ability in not raising to the occasion and sliding further down the scale of mediocrity has become the biggest worry for the party.

Hence, now the party is said to be contemplating fielding Priyanka -preserved thus far for a future role - ahead of the long-term plan so as to shield Rahul from the public glare, just in case. A debacle in UP is bound to seal the fate of the Congress for a long time to come, more so if it happens under the leadership of Rahul.

Hence the move to draft Priyanka's service, it is being speculated. The billion dollar question, however, is whether the mother in Sonia Gandhi, agrees to a more dominant role for Priyanka, both at home and in the party.

By: W Chandrakanth